


Cocoon

by artisticFlutter



Series: Metamorphosis [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mutants, Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Blood, Body Horror, Gen, Gore, Human Experimentation, Kidnapping, Mental Breakdown, Psychological Torture, Self-Mutilation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-09-27 21:28:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 47,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10051202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artisticFlutter/pseuds/artisticFlutter
Summary: Adrien Agreste has been taken again by Apatura Corporation to undergo a new change. He isn't alone on the inside, but how long he will last is another matter entirely.Marinette Dupain-Cheng is not going to stand-by and allow this to continue. She's determined to save Adrien, her friends, her family, and stop Hawkmoth once and for all. However, she needs to understand more about Mutants, and venture from sanctuary in order to do so.How strong can a Ladybug be without her cat? And what will a cat do be reunited with his Lady?(Part Three of Metamorphosis)





	1. Apatura

**Author's Note:**

> Well, well, if it isn't March, hehe~
> 
> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

Apatura Corporation  
Subject Name: REDACTED  
Experiment #013  
Project Title: REDACTED

 

Day One –

> #013 has been returned to the facility at 2200 hours. He’s still unconscious due to heavy sedation. The mask is unnecessary now according to field reports, but I can see why they considered using it as a precaution. He’s expected to come around within the hour, but at this time, when he regains consciousness only matters to the caretakers. Hawkmoth wants to give #013 a week to acclimate himself to his home again. A week should give me time to recover after bending his emotions as well.
> 
> This next phase, according to Hawkmoth, will take approximately a month. I will have to document his changes again during this time. It’s unknown when the last case of a Primal Mutation was officially documented, or if it has ever been.
> 
> Presently, #013 has an excellent BMI and his scars are less visible. No doubt being around #707 managed to even make them fade significantly. Observations will properly resume tomorrow.

 

Day Two –

> 0800 Hours \- #013 is awake, but inactive. He remains in bed, but he shifts far more than in the evening.
> 
> 0830 Hours – Breakfast is delivered.
> 
> 1100 Hours \- #013 finally crawls from bed and seeks out his food, eating a sufficient amount before moving into a corner. He repeats these actions throughout the day, cooperating with his caretakers when they escort him out of the room.

 

Day Three –

> Nothing notably different occurs today. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are delivered on time, and #013 continues keeping to himself, but obeying his caretakers.

 

Day Four –

> No changes.

 

Day Five  –

> I’ve noticed something curious about #013. While he sleeps, he somehow manages to smile. As faintly as I am connected to his wavelength right now, even I can sense how empty he becomes while conscious. How his dreams remain happy, I’m uncertain, but that will change in a few more days I’m sure.

 

Day Six –

> 0830 Hours – Hawkmoth arrives as #013 is being delivered breakfast.
> 
> 0845 Hours \- #013 appears anxious. I wonder if he knows Hawkmoth is here because no one has been by to possibly inform him, not even Hawkmoth himself.
> 
> No significant difference for the rest of the day.

 

Day Seven –

> 0830 Hours – Breakfast has been delivered. #013 makes no move to eat.
> 
> 0900 Hours – Despite not eating, the caretakers arrive to escort #013 out of the room. Hawkmoth is determined to proceed with the tests, ordering only my continued written observation for this week.
> 
> 0930 Hours – Subject had been chained in the center of the testing room and is currently being subjected to the first set of audio cues to see what his reaction will be. They are as Hawkmoth expected – Chat Noir does not react besides grimacing at the volume.
> 
> 1230 Hours – On and off he’s been subjected to the test audio with a few minor reactions to the sound of someone actually stressed or in danger. However, the reaction was not strong enough.
> 
> Tests break for lunch, but #013 barely eats.
> 
> 1330 Hours – #013 immediately responds to the new audio files. They’re recordings of #707, but only a conversation. He seems elated, mistaking hearing her voice to her being present or nearby. He’s concerned, showing a positive emotional response to her voice, and asking if she’s alright.
> 
> The conversation manages to flow naturally.
> 
> Then Hawkmoth isn’t using the recorded audio right now.
> 
> Still, this was the response he wanted. The tension in #013 voice rises when #707 ‘says’ they’re taking ‘her’ back to ‘her’ room and everything will be okay. He isn’t sure, his stress levels are increasing, but he isn’t accessing his powers. Understandable because ‘she’ sounds unharmed.
> 
> 1630 Hours \- #013 is escorted back to his room. Nothing of significance occurs for the remainder of the day besides him eating dinner.
> 
> Result: Positive

 

Day Eight –

> Today is a simple observation of #013. As well, I am to observe Experiment #333, Volpina. Her powers have grown. The fact that merely observing a few recordings of #707 has left her capable of mimicking her is rather astounding, but terrifying. There are a few problems with her illusions though.
> 
> First, they don’t carry a scent. #013 would easily pick up on #707’s absence were the illusion to be physically conjured in the room. Two, they cannot be physically interacted with. Should #013 try reaching out, the illusion will disappear. Finally, the illusions can only last so long – three hours was pushing #333’s limit.
> 
> Presently, she’s recuperating in her own cell. Unlike #013 who refuses to move around his room, she doesn’t have the energy to do so. #013 continues to sit in his bed while #333 continues to sleep.
> 
> 1213 Hours \- #333 awakens finally and crawls out of bed to pick at her lunch.
> 
> #013 still has yet to leave his corner.
> 
> 1500 Hours – Hawkmoth visits #013.
> 
> Reception isn’t favorable; his growling is audible for five minutes despite being ordered to stop, but it does eventually. He wants to see #707. Hawkmoth lies, says she was being difficult after the tests last evening. As a result, she doesn’t deserve to see him.
> 
> There’s pride, but also disappointment; I suppose the thought of his partner still managing to rebel in this situation gave him some hope.
> 
> We’ll see how long that lasts.
> 
> 1530 Hours – Hawkmoth visits #333.
> 
> He doesn’t remain long. He’s only there to tell her what he expects tomorrow. It’s simple, but even she has a limit to her own lies. Nonetheless, she agrees to obey.
> 
> 2000 Hours \- #333 has fallen asleep early.
> 
> #013 is pacing. Actually, he began at approximately 1800 Hours, but there’s nothing to be done but to leave him to his own.
> 
> 0126 Hours \- #013 has finally tired himself out. He’s in bed.

 

Day Nine –

> 1000 Hours \- #333 is still exhausted from her power exploits two days prior. However, Hawkmoth says what little energy will allow us to finally test and see if #013 responds favorably.
> 
> As for #013, he hasn’t been taken to the testing room yet. He’s still in his room sitting in the corner, but he has at least picked at his breakfast.
> 
> 1100 Hours \- #013 has been brought to the test chamber, both his arms and legs again chained to a fixed point in the center. If he reacts, there’s no guarantee how strong it might be. Though he’s prepped, nothing occurs. Hawkmoth hasn’t ordered #333 to begin.
> 
> While he waits, #013 appears to calm. He seems to recognize the room even without his sight and pulls his ears back, waiting for the audio to begin again; or possibly, he anticipates hearing #707 speak to him again. Either way, he continues to cooperate by waiting.
> 
> 1906 Hours – Test appears to have concluded. Unfortunately, I am physically unable to record a witness account. The last thing I recall was the clock turning 11:15. #333 activated her powers from another room, one that had its audio filtered into #013’s room.
> 
> ‘#707’ sounded frantic which immediately alerted #013. Everything seemed to pour from him the moment ‘she’ screamed, and then, nothing. The connection between us should have broken by now.
> 
> I will speak with Hawkmoth on the matter. He will not be pleased to find out I have failed to record the results.

 

* * *

 

Re: Experiment #013  
Instinct Test 01

Clearly, this end result is yet another difference between a Natural and an Artificial Mutant. Chat Noir is to be moved to the new testing room effective immediately and as much as I loathe dipping into our limited resources, fashion the next set of chains from Ladybug’s energy. It should keep him from breaking out so easily.

Volpina has received a brunt of Chat Noir’s shockwave and requires five days to recover at minimum. It appears Nooroo has similarly been affected and knocked out for seven hours. He’ll require two days before he can resume his other observational work.

The test was a success. Chat Noir’s drive to seek and protect the suffering Ladybug has ruined another room however. And it doesn’t appear as though he’ll be moving for a few days either. Mutants like him are rather disgusting beings with fortunately unparalleled healing; otherwise his burns would prove to be an issue. And were he not close to the end of his mutation, it might leave him physically handicapped. At this point, he will need to be able to move once we’re finished.

As for Nooroo, he’s still weak. Chat Noir managed to overpower him so there’s room for improvement. And here I had been expecting Nooroo’s sway over the past few months would have him conditioned to Chat Noir’s emotional wavelength. Still, he only managed to bend him to our needs under the right amount of stress. I need to make him practice.

Once she’s recovered, Volpina should do.

  * Hawkmoth



 

* * *

 

Day Ten –

> #013 and #333 are confined to bedrest for the next few days. Even my activities have been limited. The testing room has been quarantined and what remains of the chains used have been gathered for study. The scientists will attempt to find another way to counter #013’s corrosion, but so far, it seems it’s still only limited by #707’s power.
> 
> The longer this goes on, the more I become concerned with Hawkmoth’s true plan. I still do not understand what he intends on doing with #013 and #707 once we get her back.

 

Day Eleven –

> #013 has pulled himself out of bed. His body is still healing and he shouldn’t be crawling around, but he seeks out his food instead. I didn’t know he would be capable of recovering this quickly, but then again, how quickly each mutant can heal is unknown. When mutants need to heal after all, we usually wouldn’t be somewhere that we can be observed. He can only be observed here.
> 
> There’s still visible scarring in some place from his old wounds, but wherever he was burned, it seems the flesh is restoring itself like new. The coloration is off however. It’s graying, and the rest of his body is gradually following suit now that I look at it. This happened before; was it instincts then, too?
> 
> There’s little more to observe today. I must retire early.

 

Day Twelve –

> The spot on #013’s back has grown exponentially from the last time I’ve seen it. His skin has taken a sickening grayer hue compared to yesterday. The fur on his claws and legs has spread and seems to flicker. Did this really just happen from that one test? I didn’t even realize he was crawling around until this moment.
> 
> I haven’t stopped detecting his wavelength, and it isn’t entirely human again. He has periods where this lulls though, simpler thoughts running through his head before being drowned by a myriad of emotions that I can’t pick out individually. It hurts when I try focusing on it to pin his feelings down, but I can’t get away from it either. This is what Hawkmoth wanted though I’m sure.
> 
> 1310 Hours – Hawkmoth must have noticed #013’s behavioral changes too. He had several caretakers corner and locked his hands using #707’s stored energy. It should limit his destruction by the time we test again. I don’t detect his emotions as strongly either.

 

Day Thirteen –

> #013 has returned to his previous routine before the first Instinct test. He lies in bed or curls up in a corner, but now he notably growls or hisses when his food is delivered. He does similarly when being escorted out of his room for any reason. He seems to be descending faster to his Instincts, but given how his emotions have been cycling, I’m not surprised.
> 
> #333 has almost recovered. Hawkmoth briefly visits her and she’s reasonably upset. Though, why can I sense that? I haven’t been anywhere near her room over the last few days. Unless my powers are growing in strength too, and if that is the case, I’ve let my guard down.
> 
> …

 

* * *

 

“Nooroo…”

Flinching away from the keyboard and monitors, Nooroo turned his eyes up to meet Hawkmoth’s steely gaze, and paled. He wouldn’t be surprised if his boss had read the last line he had written, but rising to his feet, he tried to block it in case. Hands wringing together briefly, he pushed his glasses up and cleared his throat before speaking, “Ah, yes Hawkmoth? Is there something you need?”

“How is Chat Noir doing?”

Though the mutant in question was displayed behind him, withdrawn into his corner as expected these days, Nooroo knew what Hawkmoth actually wanted. There was never a question of how Chat Noir was doing physically speaking when anyone with access to this room could just come and observe.

“I… can’t say exactly, sir,” Nooroo replied, keeping his eyes on Hawkmoth, but trailing his gaze down to shoulder level instead. He couldn’t look him in the eyes for too long without shivering. “It’s like… he thinks about Ma- Ladybug, briefly feels despair, and then becomes overwhelmed by his emotions.  I’ve tried to pick them apart – I sense things similar to anguish and determination, but there’s too many at once that I can’t focus on them too long.”

Hawkmoth said nothing, but he was adjusting his grip on his cane. Nooroo glanced down, biting the inside of his cheek at each flex of his boss’s hand. When the tip clicked against the ground, he winced and snapped to attention.

“We’ll have Volpina calm him down tomorrow before we continue. However, she will not be so willing to cooperate this time.”

“She’s not?” He supposed he had been detecting her budding resistance the scant few minutes ago that Hawkmoth had visited. Turning his attention towards #333’s monitor, he could see she had done rather similar to Chat Noir, but instead of curling up in a corner, she had returned to bed, covering up her head. Focusing, he noticed how easily he could pick up on her anger and had little doubt that she would refuse Hawkmoth’s demand. If she wasn’t needed, Nooroo knew that the situation would be dealt with in accordance with any ‘failed’ mutants. He grimaced at the thought, understanding quickly why Hawkmoth had come to him.

Glancing behind himself, he read his last line: ‘I’ve let my guard down’.

“… What do you want me to do, sir?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ya'll! It's baaack!
> 
> After a successful month of drawing Adrinette-related content, writing out where I want this story to go, and other thiiings (but not the Patreon or stuff I actually needed to do), it's time to continue with Part Three - Cocoon. Also, sorry for the delay in the posting, I was drawing a short comic.... never let me draw short comics.
> 
> Anyway, as you can see, there's going to be sixteen chapters to this sucker and hopefully plenty of world-building and question-filling answers. And look at that, we have a new character in the party. Yes, she was hinted at, but Lila is here for... well, reasons to be shown later. Marinette's not in this chapter because... well, she's not captured. Adrien doesn't know this. He doesn't know a lot of things again because a certain someone was pressured into messing with him, oh dear. There's plenty more to that too, but give it time. There will be drama and fluff, and drama fluff! Oh, you'll just love it, but you're already this far so I don't have to tell you that.
> 
> I'm going to try making some chapters longer as we move on, but as the intro and given the format, the standard 2,000+ was enough. Updates, I'm probably going to shift towards Saturday, but we'll see. For now, please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe! Also, if you wanna talk to me, I'm on Twitter and Tumblr under the same name as my author pen here. See you in the next chapter!


	2. Le Grand Paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the daytime, she had a fairly normal life. But now, she has a mission that begins tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

Marinette was grateful for what work her Maman and Master Fu made on her new clothes. Sure, they were just a new jacket, t-shirt, and capris, but the jacket matched up with her shell on her back, and what they had done would make it comfortable for her to wear it backwards, allowing her space to open her wings without ruining it like her clothes before. As for her pants, their smoky gray would help bring the outfit together between the red-and-black jacket and her black carapace coating her legs. Before dressing, she held the shirt for the longest time with a grateful smile. It wasn’t as brand new like the jacket and capris, but one of her own white shirts with her own trademark flowers and leaves decorating around the left shoulder. The two had opened it in the back to again accommodate her wings just like the jacket and stitched a hem so it wouldn’t fray.

Pulling the sleeves straight, she gave herself one more look over in the mirror, admiring how the jacket somehow managed to look more like a tight turtleneck than a top she just decided to turn around. Speaking of turn, she turned away from the mirror, looking over her shoulder to better see just how the back looked. Again, not the finest work she knew her mother was capable of, but enough fabric could be removed to expose her wings without removing the jacket entirely and buttoned back on at her shoulders and waist. For now, she left the material off and stepped out of the room.

Master Fu and Wayzz were not present in the parlor’s main room, but while she vaguely wondered where they’d gone, she knew they all had things to do. They would be back later, and if she needed to speak with them, she would just be patient and tend to her own business. Besides, Wayzz already gave her the first place she needed to go.

Before their mutations and before they met, there was only one friend in Adrien’s life, one with plenty of second-hand influence that she could easily get a response from the police if she placed a phone call. However, Marinette grimaced at the thought of meeting Chloé Bourgeois again. She hadn’t well-received Adrien’s appearance – not if she permitted him to be kidnapped anyway - so no doubt Marinette wasn’t going to be met hospitably either. And sure, maybe while in the facility she said she wouldn’t mind another argument, it didn’t mean she actually wanted one. Still, stepping into the warm Parisian night, she would face the other girl if it meant following Adrien’s footsteps and finding out just how Hawkmoth had captured him.

Feeling a slight chill as she opened her wings to the night, she paused. Besides using her wings to save Théo and his co-worker, she hadn’t really flown. She had acted instinctively, but now that she wanted to use them consciously, she had no idea what she was doing. An antenna twitched in mild annoyance when she considered how easy Adrien made his own feats seem, but he had both advantage and disadvantage of his instincts bleeding together, influencing actions and thoughts.

The corner of her lips fell and her cells partially withdrew while she considered alternative means of getting to Chloé’s hotel… but then remembering who she was thinking about, there was no way she would see the girl unless she went in through the rooftop.

Wings remaining half-tucked, Marinette raised her gaze up at Master Fu’s roof. Flight confidence notwithstanding, she felt sure about trying something else. Bending her knees, she soon sprung high from the ground, far higher than she anticipated. It would be more worrying if the roof came up faster, but she was floating down with a faint hum behind her. Her wings had opened again to slow her descent. It wasn’t lift, but at least flight didn’t have to be her main method of getting around and hovering would work just fine to clear the gaps. And now from her vantage point, she could set sight on her destination.

Her brows furrowed at the abundance of flashing lights bouncing on Le Grand Paris’s walls once her eyes fell upon it. What on world happened that necessitated that many police cars? Unless they had been called _because_ Adrien had been there, but she could stand there and speculate until the sun began to rise; she needed to get over there.

Focusing on the next roof she needed to reach, she leapt, wings again catching her fall to allow her soles to lightly touch down on the shingles, but she stumbled slightly anyway once her wings ceased beating. Her flats were not made for potentially free running anywhere, but she was not about to go barefooted across Paris either. Her cells stretched and occasional buzzed until she regained balance and retracted to their partial state, anticipating her next move.

Marinette took a minute to prepare herself.

It was much bolder than before – making a running start after nearly falling – but as she told herself already, it was time for her to do more than hide. And if she ran to do anything now, it would be forward to get her answers.

There was some exhilaration this time where her feet left the townhouses behind and she cleared evening traffic below without somehow drawing anyone’s attention towards her. She wondered if Adrien had felt this with each jump he made, and every time he dashed on all fours; did he feel freedom from that too?

She landed and immediately began to run the ledge, having more spring to her step than necessary, but finding each leap sending her soaring and each touchdown was met with more poise than the last. Even when she found herself tucking and rolling, she felt herself transition smoothly from her crouch and into her tuck – wings retreated behind their shell – momentum carrying her over her back and to a halt back on her feet.

Rising to her full height, Marinette strolled with resolve to the very edge of the corner, the rooftop she stood upon parallel to Le Grand Paris. As she thought from her distant view, there seemed to be an unnecessary number of patrol cars parked around the hotel, filling the streets and blocking pedestrians in. Peering into windows, officers seemed to be mainly on the ground floor speaking to the doorman and employees at the main desk while several others were on the penthouse balcony.

Bluebell eyes narrowing, she made out thin flailing arms and blonde hair glinting beneath the stationary lights, and instantly imagined just what sort of story the girl was twisting as she spoke to the police officers. No, at a few points, there was no need to imagine. Chloé’s shrill voice could carry over anything once she got incised enough. Marinette removed her eyes to examine the officers instead. One busied themselves writing down the expressive account while two had to be wondering whether what they were hearing was really worth being called out or not. The last officer present was, fortunately, someone familiar and much too patient for this – and just who Marinette needed to speak to.

There was no proper way to approach; not without drawing attention as she made that next bound. Besides the yelling, some of the police on the ground had to be pointing and gawking as her red figure glowed from the streetlights catching her from below. The commotion was enough to get Chloé’s attention and the four officers with her. Landing on the railing, Marinette’s antennae pulled back when the other girl shrieked.

“It’s another monster!” she cried, pointing a perfectly manicured nail at Marinette as she stepped off the railing. “Arrest it!”

“… You are in violation of trespassing on a crime scene,” one officer did manage to say after a few second’s delay, but Marinette shook her head.

“I need to speak to Officer Raincomprix. I’m sure it has to do with the ‘alleged’ crime if it involves a feline-looking creature with blonde hair,” she replied, looking at the police to gauge their response. The three unaware individuals seemed more preoccupied with staring than moving which visibly riled the mayor’s daughter yet again. Fiddling with his hat, Roger eventually approached instead, lowering his head and voice to speak quietly with Marinette.

“Did Adrien come and attack this girl?”

“He might’ve gotten riled up earlier this afternoon, but he wouldn’t hurt anyone without a reason.” When he made a face, she quickly factored in just who they were dealing with and how she still lacked detail on what Chloé had told them. With a groan, she amended her statement by elaborating. “Adrien and Chloé are old friends, and he came to talk to her after we saw the bakery had been ransacked. We were trying to get in contact with you and the detectives because we thought my parents had been kidnapped.”

“Is that what happened?” Roger sighed, “Mlle. Bourgeois claimed a monster called her out by pretending to be Adrien in order to eat her.”

Marinette’s lips thinned. “He’d rather eat croissants than any kind of meat.” And she bit her tongue before commenting on how Chloé might taste ‘spoiled’. Now wasn’t the time. “Anyway, I had to find you because Adrien’s been taken.”

“What?” His eyes bulged. “When?”

“It was Hawkmoth. It had to be after he came here, but I’m still trying to figure out how it happened.”

Roger scowled, crossing his arms, “Strange… Well, I don’t know if this is related, but there was a report of an incident at the Agreste Manor. From what I understand over the radio, plenty of evidence suggests a struggle. Would he have any reason to go there?”

“The Agreste Manor?” Marinette forehead creased as she tried to find a reason, but she shook her head. “I know he’s wanted to see his dad, but… I wouldn’t think he would go back after what happened today. We were going to lie low for a while, but after taking a brief nap, he left. The old man who came to visit you? It was his apprentice that informed me he had come here.”

“Um, excuse me? Why are you talking to that… _thing_? I’m the one who called you!”

Chloé had evidently lost her patience with Roger paying attention to Marinette instead, but the spotted girl was in no hurry to identify herself to the blonde. The officer scratched his head, trapped between the current situation and an ongoing case. But before he could say anything, Chloé was pointing at Marinette, “ _It_ knows about the monster! Lock it up in a cage and find the other one!”

“Now, Mlle. Bourgeois, she hasn’t done anything. In fact, your ‘monster’ wanted you to call me about an incident at Tom and Sabine’s Boulangerie Patisserie?” Roger questioned, his hands raised in his attempt to calm the escalating scene. For a moment, his words did happen to silence Chloé, her eyes widening, but they thinned barely a second later.

“Are you calling me a liar?” she hissed, taking out her phone, “Just wait till my daddy hears about this! He’ll put someone more competent on my case that will arrest this… bug. Why is it still here anyway!?” Her yell was directed at the other officers who still hadn’t moved closer to Marinette, making them all jump. Roger was clearly beginning to sweat beneath his hat.

“W-We don’t need to involve your father. This girl hasn’t done anything…”

“ _It’s_ trespassing on private property! Also, _I’m_ the person you’re supposed to be helping and it’s obviously working with that hideous creature!”

“Adrien isn’t hideous, Chloé! If anything is, it’s your attitude!”

Marinette didn’t intend on snapping, but she appreciated the silence that followed. Her outburst caught everyone present off-guard and they stared at the dotted female as her hands rested on her hips and antennae pointed forward. Were they going to speak? Were they waiting for her to speak again? They didn’t have to wait too long from her end. “I’m here to help Adrien after you chased him away because you were so stuck on his appearance. What kind of friend are you?”

“Who do _you_ think you are yelling at me like that!?”

Marinette stood her ground as Chloé all but stormed towards her, the distance between them becoming mere centimeters while they glared each other down. No one was raising a hand or planning to throw kicks, but Marinette did feel her shell shifting. Another few minutes into their staredown, recognition came flitting over the other girl’s face. Her lips curled in a sneer, “ _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_. I should have known it was _you_. Where’d you get the shoddy tan? Let me guess, in that new city you and your parents ran off to?”

“What city? And why would I have to explain anything to you?” Her own lips curled, putting her minuscule fangs momentarily on display, but she refrained from doing anything when Chloé backed down. The police watched them warily, but Marinette only pressed on verbally, “You saw Adrien last. Where did he go?”

“Listen _Dupain-Cheng_ , I didn’t see my Adrikins. It was only that cat monster trying to bait me into coming outside to kill me.”

“And you listen to me when I say that _was_ Adrien! He was asking you for help and probably hiding because you would make a big ordeal!” And to emphasis her point, Marinette gestured around at Roger and his fellow officers, and then behind her and down to the cars still filling the streets. Chloé only scoffed and crossed her arms, but her fingers were clenching her biceps. “You have no idea what he’s been through for the past six months…! He’s wanted to see you too, and you just refused to listen to him.”

“And how would you know that? How would you know anything about Adrien? You could barely talk to him after you first met.” Chloé glowered with her expression rapidly darkening, but Marinette was not intimidated.

“Because this whole time, we’ve been going through this together. For over six months, we’ve both been turned into _things_ that you fail to properly address,” she coolly answered, waving a hand over her body. “And I would tell you what _this_ is because you’re supposed to be his friend, but you’ve already proven that he’s misplaced his trust.”

“How… dare you…!”

Arms lowering, Marinette stepped away from Chloé and noted how the girl reddened, but did nothing. She approached Roger who had become preoccupied by his radio during their argument, but upon noticing her, he told his contact to ‘hold on’.

“There are signs of corrosion all over the foyer of the Agreste Manor, Marinette. Sounds probable that Adrien may have been there,” he said, frowning at the thought. She did as well, wondering how Adrien had managed to get inside his house at all. If he had a key, he probably would’ve gone home sooner; and from how he talked about his father, there wouldn’t be a spare just hidden somewhere around the Manor’s grounds. Those thoughts were halted as Roger continued to speak. “They collected some blood samples from the scene too so, if the decayed tiles aren’t proof enough, the lab might be turning up evidence that’ll really attract the public’s attention.”

Her fangs bit down on her lower lip at the news. There were details that she still didn’t know; mainly in regards to Adrien’s original abduction from home. Right now, the public was to believe he was being home-schooled and with the struggle, there would be proof of a kidnapping. However, she had a feeling she needed to know what really happened the first time – the apparent meeting between Gabriel and Hawkmoth, and why he allowed his son to be taken.

 

What would Gabriel do?

 

And what would Hawkmoth do?

 

“… I want to speak to M. Agreste. Do you think that would be possible?” she asked calmly, large eyes looking up. Roger hummed under his breath, brows briefly coming together again while considering her request.

“I don’t know if I could legally permit you since another department will be covering the Agreste Manor.” Marinette’s antennae drooped at his answer, but rose when he cleared his throat. “Though, M. Agreste is there and something tells me even if I said I couldn’t let you see him, you would try.” Roger did not smile since he could not encourage the action, and she nodded once, understanding. “Just avoid the first floor and Adrien’s room if you can. That would be… the East Wing in the Manor.”

“The East Wing and the first floor… okay, thank you, Officer Raincomprix.”

“I didn’t tell you anything,” he replied, raising his radio again. Her lips parted, but then she inhaled, nodding swiftly.

Taking another glance at the other officers, she headed back to the railing, but not before passing Chloé. Their argument still had her blood boiling, but she knew it wouldn’t be right to leave her behind like this.

“… Once I find him, I know he’ll forgive you,” Marinette whispered, her eyes still hard, but her tone considerably softer. “That’s just how he is. I’m not going to tell him about this, but you should talk to him once he’s back home.”

“… Do you expect me to forgive you? After coming to my hotel and humiliating me?” she growled, fists clenched, “And why should I even trust you, Marinette?”

“I don’t know… but as long as you’ve bullied me, have you ever known me to actually lie?”

Chloé said nothing.

Marinette said nothing more either. Instead, she crossed her way back to the railing and climbed it, looking out towards the Agreste Manor.

Feeling her shell part, she took a breath and jumped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, again fretting over whether or not I've gotten Chloé in-character! It's weird that she somehow manages to be difficult when she shouldn't be? Or maybe I'm over-complicating it... or not complicating it enough!? Ehhh, that aside, Marinette is currently a girl on a mission and not gonna deal with this either way. Though, time to place your bets (except for some of you) since the next chapter haaass.... /drum roll
> 
> ... Gabriel Agreste finally! Maybe! Hopefully Marinette can roll for stealth check at the Agreste Manor anyway. If you're wondering when we'll check in on Adrien again, it'll be a few chapters. I mean, we already know what's going on with him for about thirteen days so now's the tim to see what Marinette is finding out as much as she just wants to storm the facility instead (which, bad idea). As for any other characters, they'll be soon enough. In fact, I have some people planned for the chapter following the next.
> 
> Anyway, checking out before I say too much. If you wanna talk to me, I'm on Twitter and Tumblr under the same name as my author pen here and I've also picked up Discord, but PM me for that information. See you in the next chapter!


	3. Gabriel Agreste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's late, but he expecting her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

While Le Grand Paris had been busy, the Agreste Manor didn’t compare. However, that didn’t mean it wasn’t still heavily covered. Where the police had an entire hotel to scope, the Manor was still a residence – sizable, but only so many floors and rooms in comparison. Not only that, but the first floor and East Wing were off limits to her.

Marinette watched across the ways as the investigators milled around the courtyard between fellow officers and squad cars before going back into the Manor, or approaching what must have been staff. Had they known? Did they see Adrien? She would like to ask herself, but without explicit permission to be on site, it wasn’t possible. Maybe another time – if she managed to speak with Gabriel Agreste himself, then he might let her ask a few questions.

Eyes taking in the courtyard again, she prepared herself for the next jump. Most heads were down and the lights weren’t as bright, but red drew the eye. Even a brief flicker might alert them to her presence. Marinette didn’t want to bide her time for too long, but she knew being too hasty would only expose her. So, she took a deep breath, and waited until enough officers either had their heads turned away or had gone inside to investigate again. It took almost ten minutes, but it was worth being light on her feet for a few seconds to touchdown on the Agreste Manor properly.

Something that came to her after landing on the third floor railing was surveillance cameras. Feeling her eyes bulge she whipped her head around quickly, but didn’t spot anything that might be watching her. But that would be something on a Manor like this, right? She crept on all fours with both antennae quivering, picking up on the movements and various sounds rising from below. She couldn’t make out what anyone was saying per se, but at least she might be able to detect where people were in proximity to her own location. That meant she didn’t need to risk crossing in front of the windows and drawing her attention up towards the tower stationed on top. Shifting to a crouch, she didn’t need to go to the very top, but just get over the fencing surrounding what had to be the attic – maybe.

Clear from view, she jumped, wings again hovering her down safely behind the pointed fencing where she again began to creep her way around. Thinking that she might be high enough to avoid detection from directly below, she moved around the Manor’s face where she could see the courtyard again. She strained to hear what they were saying, but she only caught a few words in passing such as ‘no forced entry’ and ‘New York’ which again made her wonder how Adrien did it. Distance smells wafted to her as she lingered there to try hearing more, but the familiar and unsettling stench of blood and chemicals turned her away. Another day, and another time, she wouldn’t mind lingering here – being down there – but she still needed to find a way indoors herself.

She needed to locate M. Agreste.

“Sir, I can request they return in the morning…”

Antennae pricking up, Marinette paused, but then slinked her way closer to the fence. The skylight upon the West Wing had been opened and a woman’s voice was drifting through. Eyes narrowing, she shifted more to her right to look inside. The evening lights of Paris allowed her to make out the silhouette of a tall woman dressed in an impeccably tailored suit and her equally dark hair pulled back into a single tight bun. Her frameless glasses glinted in the light spilling through the opened hatch, momentarily obscuring her cerulean eyes that turned away to stare at the second person present in the dimly lit room. Of course, his suit cut through the darkness considering its brighter coloration and his pale hair helped, but as stiffly as M. Agreste stood, his icy eyes just showed a man who was tired.

“I would prefer to have this business concluded sooner than put it off. Go see if they require any further assistance… and if they’re finished, send them on their way.”

“Of course, M. Agreste.”

The woman departed from the room then, disappearing from Marinette’s view far before the girl heard a door open and close leaving only M. Agreste present.

There was plenty of conflicting feelings running through her as she remained there, watching, and well aware of the opportunity before her now. This man for years had been her fashion role model having been revolutionary in the business and swiftly rising to be among the most prestigious in the industry. He seemed like a logical man, calm but ruthless, and with a glare you didn’t want to be on the wrong end of. However, she didn’t know if she could retain the same admiration after everything she learned from Adrien; or more, perhaps she thought too highly of him as an individual. First locking his son away from the world and then willingly letting him become an experiment? There had never been a report on the matter either suggesting M.  Agreste said nothing, possibly remaining silent until this evening unless he made up another story to cover Adrien’s absence. But why? She felt her wings buzz at the thought of another terribly constructed lie to hide the suffering this man put his own son through.

“How long do you intend on remaining outside?”

Marinette flinched and ducked, unsure if that was directed at her or someone else beyond the door. And if it was at her, had he seen her somehow?

“I bothered to come in here and open my window to you. If you don’t intend on accepting this invitation, then leave.”

Scowling, she definitely knew he was talking to her. But still, that didn’t answer how he’d known.

While she hesitated perhaps for one second longer than intended, she made her way over the pointed fencing with another leap and landed on the lip of the skylight in direct sight of the designer. His expression was just as indifferent as all his photos ever portrayed, but where she felt a shiver before, she only felt anger ignite. His eyes might be weary, but she didn’t understand how he could remain so cold – if he could feel any shred of emotion. But he had to, right? He had been married, but when her thoughts turned to Adrien, again, her chest burned.

Eyes thinning further, she dropped into the room, her wings immediately snapping back into their shell as she stood. She was nowhere near the same imposing stature M. Agreste had, but she stared him down all the same while trying to calm her temper.

“… How did you know I was outside?” she asked once she was sure her voice wouldn’t break, but she still felt her throat tighten. Was she showing hostility? It did feel like her antennae might be pointing forward more than they had before. Marinette needed to calm down, but she just couldn’t; not after knowing everything he’d done and was still doing.

“I received a phone call from Mlle. Bourgeois,” he said so steadily that it just made her frown. “She said I might receive a visit from Marinette Dupain-Cheng in regards to my son. And from her description, I can only take that you are her.”

“Chloé…?”

Shock split her glare and her eyes opened wide, but she shook her head, adopting again the harsh stare from before. “Well, if you know why I’m here, then you must know what I’m going to ask you.”

“You mustn’t assume… but yes, I have an idea,” he chided and folded his arms behind his back. She said nothing, waiting for him to speak on and they would see if he really knew. His steely eyes passing over her, he continued in a moment. “I arrived back this evening from New York. I’ve already spoken with the police on the matter and Nathalie has shown them our tickets. Whatever occurred in my home will be known once I’ve reviewed the security footage personally.”

“No… You already know what happened.”

She took a step forward while he raised an eyebrow.

“… Do you have evidence to that claim?”

“Not physically…” Her fist clenched. “But that’s something the police should have done first, right? Look over any surveillance footage you might have? You know they’re going to see something…”

“What I know is that it’s late and I’d rather not be hosting the department all evening,” M. Agreste replied just as calmly as before. “If that’s all, I would like to retire.”

“Once you tell me how Hawkmoth captured Adrien.” She felt like she was shaking, but she hoped it wasn’t visible. M. Agreste’s brows pinched inward and his gaze intensified, but she wasn’t about to stop. She needed an answer. “… He wanted to come home, and he did considering the damage he caused to your entryway, but you weren’t here and Hawkmoth was. What did you do?”

“Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, I haven’t done anything…”

“Yes you have though…!” she snapped. “He wouldn’t be a mutant like me if you hadn’t done something! He wouldn’t have to suffer like he is, or constantly battle with trying to be human! He wouldn’t have wondered if coming home meant facing your disapproval!” Her face was hot and her cheeks felt wet, but she couldn’t stop.

“He wouldn’t be wondering if you loved him anymore!”

Her voice rung around the room after that, and she didn’t know when the window had been closed, but she was grateful. M. Agreste had moved though and was coming back from the wall still heavily obscured by shadows. His head was bowed and she couldn’t see his face properly anymore. It bothered her how he said nothing and how he allowed silence to fill the space around them, the tension growing. When would he yell? Would he demand her to leave? But she couldn’t; she wouldn’t until she knew why-

“Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, how much do you know about Mutants?”

The question caught her by surprise; enough to cool some of her temper, but not all of it. “… I know enough, but I’m still learning more.”

“Then you already know more than I do… and I was married to one.”

Hands unclenching, Marinette raising one eyebrow and slightly cocked her head, lips parting as she took his words in.

“… Mme. Agreste was a Mutant?” She had never seen the woman personally so there was no way she could say if there was a telling feature, or features. Though, if there had been, the public would’ve know; Marinette could only assume she must have been Natural and capable of going between her human and mutant form.

“Like mother like son as few might say… Adrien took many traits from her from her appearance to her personality.” M. Agreste was looking up again, but past Marinette. Eyes flitting between him and where his eyes feel, the young girl chanced glancing over her shoulder while warily watching him. Behind her was a… painting; a portrait of a beautiful small family of three with a beaming father, a glowing mother, and their young son who might as well be the very sun. Turning further to have a better look, she still shuffled aside when M. Agreste walked closer himself.

She didn’t trust him, and she had to be careful not to let her guard down.

“I would like to say she knew more than I did, but she didn’t have anyone to talk to about her… awakening when it happened. Her powers gave her brief visions of events that could or would occur and potential outcomes depending on what actions were taken. She told me that for years because of it, she became overwhelmed and unable to step outside.” The hand behind his back clenched, but uncurled, and she noted the ring on his finger – a single silver band on his left ring finger. “The day we met was the first day in years she managed to step outside again. Until then, she had taken online courses to avoid her powers letting her see everything. Apparently, the years had allowed them to mature and she had better control of what she might witness… We were able to fall in love without her worrying about our future and wed…

“And then, a year later, she gave birth to Adrien…” M. Agreste sighed. His tone, level until this point, dropped. It wasn’t disappointment or disgust like Marinette thought he might take upon talking about his son, but it sounded despairing. Lips parted, she raised her eyes to gaze at the back of his head, but said nothing. “She had a vision that evening… of a beast rampaging through a burning Paris and further drawing ruin with its claws. When she saw inside that monster, she saw a blonde boy that hauntingly reminded her of Adrien.”

Marinette’s heart leapt into her throat and her breath caught.

Inside?

 

_It hurts… Marinette._

 

“For years, we worried what it meant and denied that he would become that creature. We told ourselves if he mutated, he would be like his mother in that regard as well, but we took precautions. So, we kept him inside, hiding him away from the world to avoid any stimulus that could possibly result in him mutating, and that seemed to work for a time. We homeschooled him, we gave him a friend, and his room had everything to hopefully detract him from wanting to leave. His mother being around helped… but then…”

“… She went missing,” Marinette finished for M. Agreste. He took a small step, pivoting to give her an appraising look. He turned to face her properly and nodded.

“Though I tried to be there for Adrien while she was still present, my wife had far more time to spend with him,” he explained, closing his eyes. “Her sudden absence was devastating to both of us. I tried to keep things from changing, but change was inevitable. Even after hiring Nathalie and filling his schedule, Adrien wanted to be close. I hesitated, but agreed to let him model for my company, and attempts to dissuade him had the opposite effect.”

Stepping back, Marinette didn’t know if she could believe what she was hearing. While she might understand why M. Agreste had done what he had by enforcing ridiculous expectations, it was still wrong. And there was something else she didn’t understand.

“Why couldn’t you just tell him? Even without mentioning it, couldn’t you--”

But watching him shaking his head again, she stopped talking so he could speak.

“I asked my wife the same thing and she used her powers to see what the consequences of that route would be. There were unfortunate outcomes that, while perhaps they weren’t the destruction of Paris, would result in losing Adrien in other ways.”

Grimacing, Marinette retracted any other arguments in regards to alternate options. M. Agreste continued only after he seemed certain she didn’t have anything else to add.

“That day he attempted to enroll himself into your school was the day I was contacted by someone who knew a great deal about Mutants,” he stated. The blue-eyed girl felt her stomach drop already aware of what would happen soon. “They told me they discovered a method to suppress Adrien’s mutant gene so he would never leave his dormant state. He would be their final test subject, and if everything went well, than others would be able to benefit.”

That was it…

His father would be happy… if Adrien had been part of the testing to stop his mutation from ever occurring. It would have done something to help everyone.

And yet…

“I should have considered it more. How Hawkmoth accessed Adrien’s medical records and how he knew we were attempting to shelter him, but at the time, I didn’t. I was too focused on stopping his mutation at any cost.” His soles clicking, M. Agreste had turned away from Marinette again to face the portrait. Stepping forward, he grabbed one side of the painting and pulled it away like a hatch, revealing a small safe behind it. “Telling you this does not excuse my actions, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, and I still regret allowing my son to be subjected to the pain he’s been undergoing.”

“Then why not take him back from Hawkmoth?” Marinette had to try keeping herself from demanding, but it seemed like the obvious answer. Perhaps it was. “You should be able to bring him home.”

The safe before M. Agreste opened and he pulled a manila envelope out.  He held it out to her without looking and with furrowed brows, she took it. Unclasping the top, she opened it and tilted it to see what the contents were. Photos fell into her hands – copies of the originals given the paper they were printed upon. Her eyes widened at each image depicting and dating another step in Adrien’s transformation before and gradually after. She hadn’t been there to witness it, but flipping through them, watching him lose his teeth and nails, seeing the progressive growth of his ears and tail, and grievous wounds he inflicted upon his own thinning form, she had to put them away. As she did so, there was another paper that caught her attention. Trembling fingers reaching for it, she drew it out, expecting something equally as dreadful as the imagines to face her.

… It was worse.

“As you can see, we both signed a contract permitting Adrien to undergo his ‘treatment’…” M. Agreste murmured as Marinette’s eyes read over a medical consent copy. “I cannot legally take Adrien from Apatura. And if I make any attempts to try getting him back another way, that’s where the photos come in.”

Eyes popping, she wouldn’t ever have thought of Gabriel Agreste being blackmailed, but here the proof was in her hands. Down to the detail, from side effects to errors, and at the bottom, both Adrien and Gabriel’s signatures on the dotted lines, but she had to stare at the physician. Dr. Noah Pontia? That couldn’t be Hawkmoth though. After everything, he wouldn’t so blatantly leave his name somewhere to be found. But then she remembered someone else – a meek form with pale hair and a single curl on his forehead that seemed out of place in the facility.

Fangs nipping the inside of her cheek, she put the document back into the envelope and closed it, handing it back to M. Agreste. He accepted it and returned it to the safe to lock it away once more. His thumb and index finger rose next to pinch the bridge of his nose while pushing his glasses up.

“I never meant to make him doubt… and I want him back, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. I’d give anything for him to be at home and safe again.”

And yet, despite being a man who could give anything, he could not.

“… It’s Marinette, M. Agreste,” she whispered, standing with far less aggression than when she first arrived. “I’ll bring him home… It’s all he’s ever wanted, and that’s all I can ask for.”

He said nothing, did nothing except lower his head and hand, and gazing at him, she could make out the graying strands mixed among his naturally pale hair; a few more that were not properly among his groomed appearance. Shoes tapping as he turned to face her again, she didn’t know if she had ever seen him look so grateful. “Mlle… Marinette, there’s nothing I can do to actively aid you, but allow me to provide you with something in return. It will take a few days to prepare…”

“Ah, you don’t have to, M. Agreste!”

But he actually raised a hand and shook his head. “I insist… please.”

Her rebuttal faltered and she threaded her fingers before her. She didn’t know what he might want to give her, but it would be rude to decline when he was insisting. “… Okay. I don’t know how soon I can come back – I still need to figure out how to get into Apatura and heal Adrien if he’s been hurt anymore.” It wasn’t really ‘if’ because she knew, and Master Fu and Wayzz knew, that Hawkmoth would be putting Adrien through those trials again to get him to change further. So, if he was Primal, how could she reverse what had been done? “Would a week be long enough? I doubt I’ll get any answers just within a few days.”

Back to his ‘business-as-usual’ stoicism, M. Agreste nodded. “It should be ready then, but take your time. I assume you’re working alone?”

Head rising, her mouth opened, closed, and she shook her head before smiling. “Not entirely. In fact, I should get back to them so we can figure out what to do next.”

“Of course…” Closing the painting, he stepped around her to again open the skylight. When the warm evening air fell upon her, Marinette felt her wings twitch, anxious to open again, but she caught M. Agreste’s eye again. “Once a week has past, I’ll see this skylight is open from 9 to 11 in the evening. You may use it to get in. Nathalie will escort you from there.”

“Okay. Thank you again, M. Agreste.”

Keeping his composure, the older man nodded once and opened the door to leave. “Good luck, Marinette.”

He stepped out and her eyes turned skyward. Marinette leapt back out onto the rooftops and disappeared over the backside of the Manor. She had a lot to talk about with Master Fu and Wayzz.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY, a few things to note: 
> 
> 1\. I considered Gabriel both being Hawkmoth and not in this story so if you're wondering if I copped out, not really. I mean, I still can after all because the mask... but will I? No, so don't ask. Maybe an alternate to the alternate universe, but this AU as it stands 'canon', nope.
> 
> 2\. This doesn't reflect my stance on the show which is Gabriel is most likely Hawkmoth and we're all about to suffer in Season Two. Would I like him to be someone else? Sure, because Adrien doesn't need a villain and missing mom. However, like I said way back when in another part, grief can make people do the wrong things in superhero films/shows/comics/etc. Though, I'm still looking at one of these new akuma designs and it's driving me crazy...
> 
> 3\. ... I WENT BACK JUST TO MAKE SURE THE DATES ALL LINED UP UGH! I need to keep track of my timeline, but here's the update: It's the end of April.
> 
> 4\. Yup! Nooroo has a name. All the kwami in this story have a name and then 'nickname' in some cases; those who appear anyway, and they all start with a similar first letter.
> 
> 5\. Just a fun note here, angry Mama Agreste could be terrifying as it is in this universe... Peacocks still have multiple eyes in some way.
> 
> Now with that out of the way, someone asked me about Marinette and Adrien as they appear in the story. Well, have [Marinette](http://artisticflutter.tumblr.com/post/158178589816/so-i-drew-something-again-and-it-was-the) and [Adrien](http://artisticflutter.tumblr.com/post/158206620656/as-promised-with-marinette-yesterday-heres). Let's hope these links don't redirect somewhere (again) and note that I'm redesigning a few aspects of Adrien's last form(s) so check back later. For now, we close Day One of Adrien being back at Apatura and Marinette investigating into the night. Time to rest and gather notes... oh and tell Alya and Nino what's going on. 
> 
> Please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe! See you in the next chapter!


	4. Regroup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is destiny? And what is fate? They are just inevitable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

Her dream that night was somehow pleasant.

It was the two of them hidden away on her loft and feeling secure buried beneath a multitude of blankets, their bodies pressed together into the small, but comfortable space. Her cat pillow, never torn apart, cushioned her head while her chest seemed to provide the perfect place for his head. Probably too intimate for others, but she knew he slept easier when he was able to hear her heart beating. She too slept better, knowing that he was there and physically able to be held. Lazily, her hand brushed his head and gently scratched his ears, further coaxing faint purrs from the slumbering blonde boy. He was smiling; he was at peace, and Marinette couldn’t ask for anymore. Though, okay, feeling and seeing his ear flick against her did want to make her see that again.

But, that couldn’t be here…

She opened her eyes to the dark ceiling, frowning at the missing warmth and weight, and the lack of blonde hair. It was just her upon the futon, the thin blanket serving her well for the evening though it did not replace her comforter. Sighing, she knew thinking that made her seem ungrateful when honestly she had to thank Master Fu and Wayzz for taking her in. She had no idea where she would’ve gone otherwise, and she didn’t know if she could protect herself from Hawkmoth. No, she knew she would be unable to defend herself. She didn’t have a full understanding of her powers and instinctively relying on them wouldn’t help her save Adrien.

So… how was she going to do that?

Sitting up, Marinette balled her hands into tight fists upon the blanket, her brows knitting together, realizing again she ultimately had no idea what to do. She was sure she could find the facility, but how did she get in without being seen? How did she avoid being detected while heading there? If she got inside, how exactly would she fight back if confronted? Vaguely she recalled what she did when they escaped the first time, but that didn’t mean she consciously _knew_ how to repeat that performance. Marinette raised her hands to her face and rubbed her forehead, dragging them both over her face, flopping back down onto the futon. Several minutes had to have past with her mind whirling before there were three knocks at her door.

_“Marinette? Are you awake?”_

“Ah, yes. I’m awake, Wayzz!” she yelped, sitting up again and throwing off her blanket. Panicked, she looked at the window again. She must’ve been lying down longer than she thought; the sun was already peeking over a few buildings nearby. “What time is it?”

_“It is still early. However, I thought you may like to call your friend before school started.”_

“I—Right, Alya!”

She almost completely forgot. With everything she learned, she wanted to keep Alya and Nino up-to-date. That, and the two of them did sort of run out on them after everything at Pont des Arts. And, considering the commotion Chloé stirred up at her hotel and everything going on at the Agreste Manor, something would’ve been reported by now. If her cellphone hadn’t fallen into the Seine, she would have told them everything already.

She wouldn’t have panicked about her parents.

Adrien wouldn’t be in trouble.

_“Ah! Stop right there!”_ Marinette could hear Alya yelling in her mind as her own hands smacked her cheeks. Stop overthinking; be more confident. What happened did, and now she had to figure out how to fix it. And talking to Alya and Nino with Master Fu and Wayzz, she might be able to find that answer.

“Give me a minute! I still need to get dressed!”

_“Of course, Marinette. The bathroom is free if you wish to use it and Master Fu had gotten you a toothbrush.”_

“Thank you, Wayzz!”

And she would have to thank Master Fu once she saw him too. Springing from the futon and doing her best to quickly remake it, she dashed around as she picked up her clothes, mentally reminding herself to ask where the laundry was for the t-shirt they’d given her for the night. Cracking the door open, she peeked out, and seeing neither Master Fu nor Wayzz, she hurried to the bathroom. Where she would like to spend longer getting ready for the day, she only had so much time before Alya would be in class, and neither host had a phone capable of texting. She had an idea why, but decided not to ask – there were plenty of other things to ask as it was.

With a final check in the mirror, Marinette walked out holding her night shirt and proceeded to checking the other rooms. Though all the rooms were unoccupied, Wayzz was standing at the front desk of the massage parlor room instead, and looked up from what appeared to be an appointment schedule when she walked in.

“Is Master Fu…?”

“With a client? Yes, but he will be free when your friends finish their classes.” Nodding, he picked the old cordless phone off the receiver besides him and held it to her. “It is the only phone we have here, and since it is business hours…”

“I’ll be quick. You’ll meet them by Patisserie again?”

“Yes.”

Fingers hovering above the numbers, Marinette paused. She looked back at Wayzz, “Oh, right, Alya might want to make sure you’re not lying even after I tell her who you are so take this with you.”

From her pocket she drew the one thing she had somehow kept on her: a bracelet charm that really hadn’t served its purpose considering. Though, maybe something that was supposed to bring luck didn’t affect someone whose powers were fortune itself already. “I made it myself and showed it to Alya once, so unless someone else managed to duplicate it, it should be one-of-a-kind.”

“Interesting beading I must say…” Wayzz said as he accepted it, meadow green eyes particularly focused on the jade bead and the flower engraved on it. “I will make sure to show her. Though, I will not be showing her if they do not arrive.”

“Right, phone call!”

She thought she saw him look at her bracelet again, but she didn’t think anything of it as she hurried back downstairs to avoid disturbing anyone upstairs.

 

* * *

 

 While her memory might fail her at school sometimes, Marinette always made sure to remember the important things in her life. Her home phone, her parents’ cell phones, and Alya’s phone number were part of those important things. Alya hadn’t wasted anytime picking up and later told Marinette she had been ready to say she hadn’t scheduled any kind of visit to the local shop when hearing Marinette on the other end had her freaking out for a second time. Once it was over, she went on promising she would somehow keep a tracker on her friend just so she wasn’t constantly wondering where she disappeared to next time.

Both her and Nino agreed to meeting Wayzz near the taped off bakery, and Marinette agreed that the park across the street would be best. She didn’t know how the meet-up went, but when she greeted Alya and Nino as they entered Master Fu’s parlor, their trepidation was visibly apparent. It faded upon their reunion, and Wayzz only interrupted them in order to usher them upstairs minutes later.

One low table, cushions, and tea served, Wayzz and Master Fu were seated across from Alya and Nino while Marinette sat alone as the head. The notable lack of Adrien did not go long uncommented by Nino which encouraged her to tell them everything; hopefully while maintaining her composure. As expected, Master Fu and Wayzz were both silent and their expressions impassive save for Wayzz’s brows slowly dipping inward. On the other side, Nino paled and Alya seemed to be seething as the story folded into the encounter with Chloé and Officer Raincomprix into her meeting with Mr. Agreste where her anger gradually dissipated.

“Well, he’s not winning father of the year,” Alya started, breaking minutes of silence after Marinette finished. “But he really did have the best interests for his son. I was starting to get bad vibes about him.”

“Dude… my best friend is destined to destroy Paris?” Nino muttered, planting his elbows on the table while he held his head, “Oh man, how do you stop that? Is the military gonna be called in? Will they shoot him?!”

“They will do worse if they cannot contain him,” Wayzz sighed and shook his head. “And with a being like him, they will find themselves incapable of doing anything. That level of destruction will only feed into his power, and it will feed into yours too as the spreading misfortune robs away all good fortune meant for those in his path.”

His steady gaze fell on Marinette who grimaced beneath his eyes and felt her wings shift.

“Then we have to get into Apatura sooner,” she stated, hands fisting in her lap, “If we can get him out before he’s turned that far then we’ll save everyone, right?”

She was looking at Master Fu even as Alya and Nino voiced their agreement.

The oldest among them, he seemed to know things that they didn’t even if he might be cryptic in way of telling her or Wayzz. However, his narrowed eyes and the downturned mouth upon his face were not reassuring, and his aged fingers stroked his beard. It wasn’t long before Wayzz soon reflected a similar troubled expression.

“… With this revelation, your plan to approach Apatura directly will not end with success,” Master Fu informed much to the dismay of Marinette, Alya, and Nino. He continued before anyone spoke, “While the thousand eyes of a Peacock provide visions into the future and consequence each action may have, what you have described was not merely insight. She saw Fate, and every path would eventually lead to that end no matter that course taken. Like others Peacocks before her, she may have attempted to find a way to circumvent it herself…”

“Fate… but…” Marinette trailed, again at a loss. All this time, there was _nothing_ that could have been done to stop Adrien becoming that creature? She just couldn’t believe that; not after all she had tried to do, and not after everything his parents had tried. Feeling weight shift above her forehead, she figured her antennae must be drooping forward.

“But wait, if she could see into the future, wouldn’t she know the outcome of Adrien… you know?” Nino asked with his voice quivering.

The question at least had Master Fu stroking his beard again, but his expression barely changed, “Fate is something very few can see beyond and even the Peacock struggles. She may have witnessed glimpses, but it would not be entirely discernible.”

“Then what do we do?” Marinette raised her voice now, raising her hands to cup her tea with trembling digits. “He’s going to come here and destroy the city… We can’t stop it and no one will be able to stop him either.”

“Now, it was never said he couldn’t be stopped…” Master Fu chided gently, touching Marinette’s hand. She flinched and her tea shifted, but fortunately didn’t spill. “And what must now be done is prepare…”

“Prepare? How do you prepare for total destruction,” Alya retorted with a scowl, “And if the military isn’t able to stop him, how could anything else?”

Master Fu smiled and removed his hand, eyes brightening.

“Just as Instincts may turn him Primal, they can keep him human, too. It is possible for him to be calmed should people he knows stand up to him, but it will take time for him to recover afterwards.”

Relieved, Marinette still had to frown. It was reassuming something could be done, but remembering how he looked when they left – that nightmare she had too before they escaped where she so shockingly enveloped such frail frame somewhere beneath the dark flames. Would that really be all it took? Not that she objected from the simplicity – it would still be dangerous with him if he was really rampaging – but if he was going to release all that fortune from others, there had to be something she could do with it to help after all was said and done.

“If you two are up for helping Adrien, I will do what I can to prepare you… However, for us to be sure, Marinette…”

Her head perked at Master Fu saying her name.

“I have a task for you in two days. Wayzz, I will be stepping out tomorrow so you will handle my appointments.”

Wayzz sat up straighter, wild green eyes opening wide, but nothing more was said. Everyone watched Master Fu rise with his cane, quietly dismissing himself before heading off to another room. He knew everything, and now he was leaving the four of them at the table. Marinette exchanged bewildered glances with Alya and Nino, but Wayzz remained turned away. Whatever Master Fu was planning might have left them puzzled, but feeling her wings twitch anxiously on her back, Marinette knew she would face whatever task she was given.

She had to.

There wasn’t another choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter providing some filler... and remembering Alya and Nino are not going to be left out of this. However, we will be cutting away from Marinette because we'll be taking a moment to see how Adrien's doing next chapter. Keep in mind, he's technically about two weeks ahead at this point so Marinette's playing catch-up while... ah, he's probably not doing so well.
> 
> ALSO, something I wanted to address... I made an oops at the end of Crawl(ing). When I said the Peacock wouldn't be involved, I meant the Bee. Without knowing enough about her especially her name, I can't include her. However, plans involving the Peacock, Fox, Cat, and other Bug are in place. In faaaact... well, no, you'll just have to check back after next chapter to see who's finally arrived.
> 
> I don't have much else to say, buuut Miraculous AU week is going on so swing by my tumblr to see what I've been drawing up if you want! Other than that, please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe! See you in the next chapter!


	5. Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rest does not come to a shattering mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)
> 
>  
> 
> **Warning: Blood and self-mutilation**

_Plik, plik, plik…_

 

That sound was maddening in the otherwise silent room, but he doesn’t think about the pain with it there.

Adrien hated it, but he needed it all the same.

Sleep, he’s supposed to be resting, but his bones had felt like they were splitting earlier, breaking and shifting themselves beneath his skin. Another change occurring in him and he would try to silently let it pass. Exhaling, he curled further on his side, feeling his chest rapidly expand and contract as he panted and groaned, the stitches on his feet aching as the skin was pulled and aggravated by his simple motions. His nostrils flared and that intent desire to claw and rip out the stitching returned while rational nearly escaped him. Only his aching fingers stopped him, softening the roar tearing through his skull.

Get at their scars; rearrange his body himself. Fix what the scientists had broken.

 

_Plik, plik, plik…_

 

Hissing, Adrien knocked his head against the floor, gnashing his sharpened fangs together and roughly dragged his forehead before snarling.

Make the dripping stop… someone make that infernal dripping _stop!_

Body twisting, he butted the floor again and again, four more times until the ringing started. His ears flattened against his once golden hair and all sounds mercifully stopped for the moment. That was better, he thought anyway, rolling onto his back to stare at nothing. The mask still against his fluttering eyes blacked out an already dim room, but that was fine. He was used to this.

And it wasn’t as though he wanted to really see where he was anyway.

His hearing, his sense of smell, he knew how big his cell was, and how every hour it just felt smaller. Even if he couldn’t move around so freely anymore, it took less time to cross from one end of his box to the other at one point with his claws alone, nails raking the ground all the while. It should take longer, and the room should feel colder, but nothing’s right anymore. Nothing’s _been_ right and he wanted it all to stop. Make it stop – he had the power to do that, but the cuffs on his hands rattled as he pulled again.

They stir something; a familiarity to what they are and the fortune molding them into physical form.

“Mari… nette…”

That voice wasn’t his – or, the voice was now his. Adrien didn’t stop to think too hard on it – he always stopped thinking the moment he thought about Marinette. It had to have been days now, and he hadn’t heard from her again, not after her scream. His shoulders popped and misfortune burned along his back, tangling through his hair and flowing over his shoulders the longer he lingered on the memory. It wove itself over his face to bore into his mind, drawing a snarl from his lips. He proceeded to writhe once more, head crashing into the floor and chained links smashing against the ground. He ignored the pain blistering in his fingers and shooting down his arms, and the way his malformed clawed feet ripped at his healing skin, opening the stitches and then some he so greatly wanted to with his hands before.

“Mari… Marinette… Marinette!”

Where was she?

He rolled to his stomach to try getting up, but his feet refused to catch, slipping over the sticky fluids leaking onto the ground. The bones that had been rearranged popped and probably cracked, but he shortly yowled again for his companion. The dripping that irritated him developed into a trickle as he slammed his wrists against the ground again, feeling the likely red-and-black metal further bruise his furred wrists and the bones beneath the thickened epidermis groaned. They could crack and break for all he cared, but he had to get out. His ears pulled as metal screeched against stone, wrists cracking against the ground as he tried several more times, each slam more forceful than the last. Adrien couldn’t feel his hands, but his wrists rolled, splintered bones grinding together. Each little motion felt like needles piercing and hooking into his skin to rip it back, spilling wave after wave of copper rust into the air.

It hurt… so bad.

His lips twitched and peeled back over fangs.

Trickling nearby became a steady stream.

Iron flooded his mouth, his fangs burying themselves into fur and flesh and tissue, jaws clenching down on his already shattered joint. The cold metal of his bangles pressed against his cheek, but his mouth crushed tightly where it buried itself, and he began to tear back. If he could see, the pain would blind him; it made his heart seize and his stomach clench, threatening that he would be ill going any further, but the thought again of Marinette made the fragments of his own bones jutting into his gums tolerable. If losing one claw meant getting out and making sure she was alright, he would do it just like before. Adrien tried viciously shaking his head, trying to make the limb separate faster. He had to get free.

 

_“A-Adrien…”_

 

Jaws relinquished their crushing pressure and his head shot up, large ears standing at their peak. His entire body became rigid and he patiently held, hoping to hear her speak again. Like before, she wasn’t near and she sounded tired. Fangs pulling out of flesh, he ignored the merciless burning that filled in the gored holes he made.

“… Marinette?” he growled, wobbling and soon sliding back to the ground. His head hit the ground with a hearty splash, the pooled blood leaping onto his head and dripping off his hair. Did his black out? Was he still awake? Iron assaulted his nose while he panted for air, barely feeling the misfortune begin slowly thread his body back together. An ear flicked and he strained to hear her speak, but why was she silent now? “Mari…?”

 

_“S-Sorry… I’m still tired.”_

 

He could hear her exhaustion clearly, but having her admit that made him croon weakly for her. Her scream still echoed in his mind fresh from that day; he didn’t know what they had done to her, but he wouldn’t allow it to happen again if he could possibly prevent it. Doing his best to lift his torso, he dragged his right hand back to his mouth and bore his fangs to resume amputating himself.

 

_“Adrien… Adrien, please. Stop…”_

 

“I can’t…” he hissed before making a deeper bite. Could he chew through his radius and ulna fast enough? Maybe just pulverizing his carpus would be better. His fangs clamped down on one of them at least this time and felt it breaking beneath his teeth. It took seconds for him to bite through, the bone fragment falling upon his tongue while his teeth tore out everything else trapped between them as he turned his head. He spit it all aside, a rattling growl rising from his throat as he prepared for the next bite.

 

_“Please! Adrien, if you don’t stop, Hawkmoth won’t let me see you!”_

 

Pink saliva dripping from his fangs, her words froze him while they hovered. Slowly, they drew back.

“… I’ll see you?”

They would take his mask off? They would be in the same room?

He wanted to – he hoped they would. Ever since coming back, he had felt nothing but dread filling his being and steadily, he knew he was becoming less of himself. He didn’t care about his body, but he at least wanted to keep his mind and to stay sane for a little longer. If he ever lost himself, he hoped Marinette wouldn’t follow. One of them needed to stay human; they couldn’t both become lost causes – she couldn’t become like him. If he could see her, if he could hold her, or if she could just touch him, he would be content.

“… Can you see me… right now Marinette?” he mumbled, dragging his arm away to lie in his blood. His ears lowered at the blurred memories of his frenzy, his tongue drawing over stray bits of fur and various tissue still stuck between his teeth.

 

_“… Yes.”_

 

Ears pulling back, his lips curled into a wry smile. He could only imagine how it looked on the outside. He could still feel blood dripping off his chin as he tried to get up again, but his right hand dragged uselessly, frayed nerves exposed to the air making him shiver as his left claw did its best to support him into a seated position.

“Are you… are you scared of me?”

There’s a burning ache now – his power stringing together the area he’s been so vehemently working at, and his ears flicked at the faint crackling and pop. Nice to know his healing was getting faster. If only it could wait.

Did she see it? Could she witness his hand realigning itself to his arm? How the bones practically adjusted themselves and reformed any pieces that might be missing? He shuddered at the feeling of his skin boiling and bubbling whilst growing back over the exposed muscle, concealing it beneath dermis and finally, the prickling as his fur grew back. So much for all his hard work earlier, but his ears remained down and his eyes were stinging beneath his mask. Marinette hasn’t said anything. He should have known eventually he would—

 

_“No… I just want you to hold on a little longer. We’ll be together soon, so please…”_

 

His head rose before his ears did and he knew his eyes widened behind the unseeing mask. “Marinette…”

How could she not think of him as worse now?

Disgusting, vile, and violent… His heart ached.

Letting his legs uncurl, he began putting the barest amount of weight on his feet. Arching jolts lanced up his spine, and the pain mingled with his power centered upon his back before properly shooting to his head. Excruciating though it was, he applied more, his chains rattling as he pushed from the ground with his hands, his left providing the most counterbalance. Adrien shouldn’t try standing on the twisted mess the scientists left him with, but his tail waved and flicked to balance him, steadying him further before he could slip on the liquid still beneath him.

Was she somewhere near? Maybe just on the other side of a wall or the door?

Please, _please_ he wanted her to be, but he couldn’t tell if she was close. Lumbering forward almost solely on his toes, the chains rattled with each step, and his hands reached forward to feel. “M-Marinette… it hurts,” he cried, desperate and tired of all of this. He would do anything, but he needed her, tears welling inside his mask. “Stay with me until I fall asleep…”

 

* * *

 

 Bloodied claws left a sticky trail across the one-way barrier and Nooroo felt fear.

No, he’d been feeling her fear ever since they came into the observation room and Volpina's rust orange ears pulled low against her brown hair. Horror more adequately described her emotions while watching Chat Noir thrash like a rabid animal upon the ground with his clawed feet ripping into each other and his fangs shredding his arm. He doused himself in his own blood and both of them could hear him ripping and snapping apart his tendons and ligaments, and while Nooroo could feel the feline mutant’s pain, it didn’t stop him.

Every footstep Chat Noir took was agony and each one reminded the physician of a man just after a bar made a last call, but Nooroo couldn’t pull his eyes away with Volpina as he coated the false wall in red and soon rested his forehead against it. His smile was wide and even Nooroo felt his own jolt of terror at the sight of his elongated fangs. They used to be comparable to a domestic cat’s, but they were no longer. He produced a deep haunting, rattling purr that caused him to shiver. Nothing about this boy would remain human; even now, he was not one to walk among them anymore. The healed wrist and the enlarged furred hand it bore began to pat the false wall; but with each tap from his thick, hooked claws against the barrier made the connection between Nooroo and Volpina waver.

The fox wanted to flee, but he could not allow that. Hawkmoth would not allow him to release her.

On the other side of the barrier, Chat Noir began to frown, his ears rotating around on his head.

 

_“Marinette… Marinette, please…”_

 

Volpina stepped back, but Nooroo pressed against her mind. He urged her to remain in place and continue her illusion before Chat Noir could suspect, making her wide olive eyes take in more of the beastly boy separated by a barrier that only remained because of Ladybug’s shackles. Nooroo couldn’t stop Volpina’s trembling, but he did make her speak.

“I’m here. I’m right here… I’ll be right next to you until you fall asleep.”

 

_“... Thank you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Adrien, as we see in this 'future' time, isn't doing too well. The manipulation on the other hand is going great! Nooroo's getting a better command of his powers; just what Hawkmoth wants... but there's so much nope from all sides right now except Hawkmoth. Right, if everyone's wondering what Adrien looks like right now, I'm still working on that, the drawing's almost done but I'll be having someone look over it before posting it just to make sure. Haha, if I didn't remind myself it was Adrien, I might... not know it was him.
> 
> .... I'm sorry sunshine boy. There will be happiness one day... maybe. Not soon.
> 
> The next few chapters will return to Marinette and see just what task Master Fu has in store for her. It might take her a little far from home, but sometimes, that's a journey that needs to be taken. Until then though, please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe for future updates! See you in the next chapter!


	6. Complicated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is not easy, and trusting can be difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

Wayzz didn’t say where Master Fu went the next day and Marinette decided not to pry when he had work to do. All she knew was that it had something to do with her task when he returned. Perhaps it was a delivery? She was familiar with doing those for the bakery. But that would be odd. He said it would help prepare her for… the day.

Her expression fell as she gazed out the window, her legs tucked to his chest and arms resting on her knees. She lowered her chin upon her crossed arms and sighed, eyelids half fallen.

 

Three days…

 

Plenty could occur within three days at that place.

When she tried thinking about her original arrival at the facility, she remembered it had only been a few exams before she began bleeding through her skin. They sedated her that day, and for hours following, she wondered if she was going to die. At the time, she had almost hoped she would and wept for her parents, knowing the futility of it all. If she had never met Adrien there, she would’ve given up, and whatever goal Hawkmoth kept torturing them for probably would’ve been obtained. In the end, what would he have done with them?

Shaking her head, her fingers curled on her knees and she closed her eyes to remember something more pleasant and not so long ago. What she recalled was a day where the two of them had helped her Papa in the bakery. Being almost a literal cat, Adrien had to get into everything, and a few times, they had to stop him from batting bowls off the counters. It was a wonder how he didn’t cause any trouble when it was only him and her dad.

“Hmhm… silly kitten,” she murmured, managing a weak grin. In the memory, his pupils grew and he playfully stuck his tongue out at her before they both laughed. Marinette felt herself laugh too, but opened her eyes to reality and the window before her again, noting the sun already casting beautiful golden hues upon the sky, burning orange blending into the deep twilight blue of the coming night. Lowering her eyes back to the street, she gazed at the nearest streetlamp flickering to life.

 

Her kitten, her best friend…

 

She thought of his glimmering eyes and his wide smile that just reminded her of the sun both in warmth and light. She clutched her shirt above her heart, her face burning because she knew it was more than just ‘friend’.

When she said she loved him, she really did.

“No matter what…” she whispered, gnawing on her lower lip, “I love you… I love you, Adrien.”

And she would tell him when they met again; she had to.

The thought made her restless that night, but no more than her growing anticipation of Master Fu’s return the next morning. Still, she managed a few hours, dreaming of yet another night of them together and talking well into the early morning. Just a meaningless and random conversation until they could finally sleep, but Adrien had expressed an interest in her teaching him how to knit. In turn, she had admitted to her inability to speak Mandarin and asked if he could tutor her in exchange. He looked absolutely over the moon and his tail spent minutes ceaselessly wagging.

Her eyes popped open to the early dawn peeking through the window and she all but flung the covers from her body. Opening the bedroom door, she startled Wayzz on the other side, his hand raised and ready to knock. For a moment, she thought she saw scales appear on the ridge of his nose and yellow glowing in his sclera before clearing back to white. His hand fell to his chest as he sighed, “I see you are awake, Marinette. Breakfast is almost ready.”

“Is Master Fu…?”

“Master Fu will return at noon. He took a detour on the way home; I believe something that could help you with your task.”

“Oh…”

Brows knitting together, Marinette held her hands behind her back, and shifted awkwardly on her feet. She didn’t know what else to say, or even if she should talk anymore. Though Wayzz was helpful, he also seemed serious to the point that she wasn’t sure he would be interested in a normal conversation. Peering up at him, he seemed to be shifting himself and his eyebrows were upturned in the center.

Well, at least she wasn’t the only one trying to figure out what else to say.

Eyes drifting to the side, she considered the smell wafting down the hallway, “So… breakfast?”

“… Yes, breakfast,” he replied after clearing his throat briefly. Stepping back, he held out hand in gesture for her to go first. Marinette opened her mouth to tell him to go ahead so she could clean up, but her stomach growled before she could get a single word out. She felt her face burn and closed her mouth, deciding to nod her thanks and head to the small dining room. Kneeling down before the low table, Wayzz soon returned with two bowls, placing one before her and the other where he would sit, but he had one more small plate to retrieve. That moment gave her enough time to examine the contents,

“My apologies, Marinette. Master is far more skilled when it comes to French culinary techniques,” he explained, placing the small plate down beside her bowl. She looked from her rice porridge to the plate and noted an egg, shredded chicken, soybeans, baked crackers, and one more food item her Maman had made a few times before: youtiao. Raising her head, Wayzz caught her curious eye just for a second, but then looked away. “Bubur Ayam… I did not know if you have had it before so I put the rest on the side for you.”

“… Thank you.”

It was a different breakfast, but not one she was going to turn away. There seemed to be so many components that it would be rude not to try after Wayzz’s hard work. He had already begun to silently eat, his etiquette just as controlled as he was normally. About to raise her own spoon to try some rice, she paused and lowered it again. “… Wayzz, before you awakened, what was your life like?”

Maybe it was late to be considering this, and probably not the best time to ask, but the older Mutant lowered his bowl thoughtfully all the same. A few second ticked by with Wayzz taking a few more quiet bites as time stretched to a minute, and Marinette considered her question dropped – it was fairly invasive after all. However, a bite in her mouth, she blinked when a soft click announced Wayzz resting his utensil upon the side of his bowl.

“My life was devoted to a quiet rural village unlike this city… and back then, my name was Wahyu. Though it is still my name, I do not know if I am still being sought after all these years,” he sighed, bowing his head. Marinette said nothing, but her hands lowered into her lap and fisted the hem of her nightshirt tightly beneath the table. “I tended to a family farm with my parents and one elder sibling when I was not attending school. I still remember our field next to the mountain…”

He stirred his bowl, his bright green eyes glazed and unfocused as she was sure he was watching his own memories. “… There was a storm when I was twelve. It caused a landslide that would have destroyed much of our village, but I managed to subvert it. It was only an instant, and though I did not truly awaken then, it made the gene prominent when the government came to provide medical aid to the few who did end up hurt. I was among them; a minor head wound, but they drew blood to make sure my immunity had not been compromised.”

Frowning, Marinette was stunned. For some reason, she had thought Wayzz had awakened when he was older. Picturing him as a young boy with a bare knowledge of the world and suddenly having people trying to take him away from his family, it wasn’t right.

“It was my parents who told me to run when we found out.” His voice was low and tone, almost weak. “They had my brother bring me to the mainland, and after several months of traveling, we met Master Fu. I’ve been under his care since while my brother returned home…” Marinette watched him inhale deeply and exhale. He was doing everything to remain calm; she shouldn’t have asked! She didn’t mean to upset him, but she noticed his lips turn up at the corners. “Our lives are not easy and it is difficult not being able to see or contact them, but I am grateful for what my family has done. If I had remained, I do not know where I would be.”

Though, Marinette knew that he had _some_ idea by now. “How long ago was that?”

“Hm… it’s been almost ten years now.” He closed his eyes and nodded once as though affirming that for himself. “I have heard things have changed, but before I see about returning to find them, I have already decided to help you and Adrien. We must all work together to stop Hawkmoth before he further harms either of you, or anyone else.”

Lips parting, they closed and her teeth bit the inside of her cheek. He didn’t have to – Wayzz had every right to go see his family. He was putting himself in danger; they didn’t even know what Hawkmoth might do, or what Adrien would do when the day arrived, it gave him every right to try seeing them in case anything happened. Still, there was a look of contentment upon her breakfast companion’s face said he knew. And, part of her mind argued, what would it be like if he showed up to see them only to leave again with the possibility of being gone forever? Already without contact, perhaps they could hold onto the hope he was still alive somewhere and well without that concern. Her parents were more than aware where she was and the danger she was in, but they had to be apart for their own safety.

Life was not easy. From Wayzz and his family to Adrien and his father… decisions always had to be made without knowing whether they would be good or bad, right or wrong for the individual making them, or affected.

Marinette hoped they were all making the right ones now.

“… Thank you, Wayzz.”

It would only be a little longer before he could look for his family, hopefully. Eyes falling to her porridge again, she quietly resumed eating shortly after he did.

 

* * *

 

Master Fu returned precisely at noon just as Wayzz said he would. Marinette couldn’t ask where he had gone nor did he say where he had been. Instead, she had to wait as he took over for Wayzz handling the clients for the afternoon, hiding herself away in the guest room in the meantime. She didn’t expect him to close early or for dinner to be served around six, but she suspected there was a reason. It surprised her when that reason involved a manila envelope with sheet music. Her brows furrowed as she stared at the composer and the title, but it was no good; the name sounded familiar, but she just wasn’t a classical music aficionado.

“I need you to take this to a Mutant living in the 7th arrondissement. However, to reach them, you must meet one other near the Louvre,” Master Fu explained while Marinette tucked the pages back into the envelope. “She will be there at eleven, after the security passes over the grounds. Take the rooftops to get there unseen, and land before the Pyramid. That is where she will meet you.”

Those were strange instructions, but the idea of a Mutant protecting another Mutant was identifiable at this point. The one she was to meet to deliver the music had to be like Master Fu or Wayzz then, but different in some regards deciding to meet in another arrondissement.

Glancing at the clock, it was already growing past 10 o’clock. If she was going to get there quickly, but without detection, it would be best for her head out before it became too late.

“I better go now then. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she replied, clutching the package tight.

Master Fu nodded, but added, “Take your time. If you must stay overnight, we understand.”

The thought of staying at a stranger’s residence didn’t entirely appeal to her, but if Master Fu suggested she might stay overnight, then it was more than likely she would be. Whether it was because of who she might meet, or how long their discussion would go on, she could only speculate the reasons why. However, she did her best to avoid assuming the worst. They were other Mutants; Mutants that Master Fu trusted. If she had to stay with them, they would be better than anyone else – safer to be with than anyone else anyway.

Checking that the coast was clear, she stepped out into the night only once Wayzz confirmed it was safe and leapt onto the parlor roof. Wings softening her landing, she turned her head to get her bearings while scanning for any physical hazards on her mental route to the Louvre. Traveling beyond the parlor always meant leaving the protection of Master Fu and Wayzz’s cloaking, and exposing herself to possible detection by Hawkmoth’s men if they were around. Again, she had to be quick, but she had to remain vigilant to any attention she might risk drawing.

Unlike her first venture out to Le Grand Paris and the Agreste Manor, she found herself moving with more confident, but calculated jumps, taking small risks by not using her wings and also landing on smaller targets before making the next bound. Should someone see her, she wondered what she looked like to them. Could they see her? Was she a red blur in the night they decided was a flag caught waving above a lamppost or a flickering stoplight? Did they realize she was a person? And did anyone hear her wings when they beat? What about her feet bounding upon their roofs? She broke from those thoughts at the next jump.

Feet touching down upon the Palace, she slid to the roof’s railing and ducked upon spotting several armed figures slowly making their way around the plaza. They passed the smallest pyramid near her as they headed towards the main entrance, helmet-clad heads scanning in all directions. She had no idea what the patrol routes were like or how many guards monitored the grounds at this time, but her contact must. Honestly, she was expecting them to meet, briefly confirm the delivery, and then leave, but they could linger around longer. Peering from her hiding place, Marinette watched with narrowed eyes as the dark silhouettes passed into the Pyramid and soon disappeared down the winding stairs beyond the doors.

It became still across the courtyard and grew eerily quiet. Even the air became stifling and pressed in around her. Antennae folding anxiously, she scanned for anything out of place. She jumped when the clock began to chime 11’o clock across the yard and the Notre Dame bells began echoing across the way. Bewildered, her head snapped in the direction of the cathedral.

They weren’t supposed to be chiming this late at night.

_“Well, well, the little bug is on time… And here I thought you might not make it.”_

Marinette whipped her head back around at the voice that sounded so close, but saw no one there. There was skittering though – thousands of insects seemed to be pouring over the top of the roof and scurrying past her, rushing down the ninety degree incline that was the Palace wall and heading to the pyramid. If she wasn’t shocked, she might have screamed; doubly so if they crawled over her, but they didn’t.

Motionless, she eventually did leap from her perch as a second wave overcame her roost. Wings buzzing and antennae standing high, she noticed the beetles had covered the pyramid and their black shells glittered an iridescent rainbow in the courtyard lights. Mesmerized, she missed the immense form falling over her, but the heavy whoosh of sweeping wings drew her attention up.

Eyes bulging, her own wings dropped her to the ground and she sprang back as the stocky feline body landed before her. She took in its sandy sunset orange fur and large golden wings, but her mouth gaped when she saw the face. It was smooth, round, and very human framed by tight black ringlet hair. Their tawny skin easily blending into the fur that reached her next and collar, giving way to the lioness form. Upturned eyes and flared lashes, Marinette had to stare at the rosy-violet hue of the creature – woman’s? – irises gazing back upon her.

 

She didn’t move.

 

The creature’s remarkably long pointed ears quivered.

 

And then, their russet lips curled into a broad, fanged smirk.

 

“So larva, you have the sheet music?” the beast growled, its long tail snapping once. Marinette was still dazed, but snapped herself out with a firm shake of her head.

“Y-Yes. I’m supposed to take it to someone in the 7th arrondissement.” She paused, feeling her heart pound upon her ribcage, but tried to keep her fear down. “You… you’re the one who will take me to them?”

“Perhaps. However, I’m not going to just fly you away into the sky like that. Master Fu may trust you, but he does not speak for me.” Feathered wings folding in, heavy paws pounded as the sphinx prowled around her, eyes flashing and her grin quirking further on the right. “Let’s play a game, larva… I want you to answer a small riddle for me. Get it right, and I’ll take you to that envelope’s recipient. Get it wrong, and I’ll be taking that envelope alone while you return to that old tortoise. Whatever he intends for you to take from this, he’ll have to find another way to achieve it. Deal?”

Marinette hesitated to answer. A riddle to earn her trust? She didn’t understand how that worked… And how did she know if she could trust the sphinx? Or, was that part of the game? She eyed the grinning mythical creature warily.

“… Deal, but you better not be lying.”

“Lying? Why ever would I do that? You’re the one who can’t be trusted,” the sphinx replied rather haughtily as she sat before Marinette again and curled her tail around her paws. The skeptical look did not leave Marinette’s face even as the sphinx lowered her head, drew her ears back as she leveled her face with Marinette’s, and purred, “Now, listen closely… We hurt without moving. We poison without touching. We bear the truth and the lies. We are not to be judged by our size… What are we?”

Eyes narrowing further, Marinette crossed her arms and lowered her head, mulling over the riddle. There were negatives in each part; this apparent force capable of being so dangerous yet doing nothing at all. She considered natural forces, but that still didn’t seem right. “Don’t judge by our size… truth and lie…” she muttered, ignoring the lion tail waving before her face. She understood how lying could be bad, but truth? Hurtful and poisonous…?

They don’t move and they don’t touch...

Her eyes widened.

“Words…”

The great beast’s head rising, her smile fell and her gleaming eyes gazed down upon Marinette, appraising her. With a blink, the sphinx disappeared and she jumped when a hand closed around her wrist. Wide eyes stared at a beaming woman’s face, her ruby eyes glinting before she laughed. Tall, fiery orange ears stood upon her head pointed forward as she stopped and smirked.

“Such a clever little kit,” she teased, leaning uncomfortably close to Marinette’s face. “Deal’s a deal. Try to keep up…”

Mist filled Marinette’s vision, and the woman was suddenly gone. A sharp, but short whistle caused her to turn on her heel and she spotted the woman a short distance away, a plush orange tail curling behind her. “Preferably before the security comes back!”

Clutching the envelope harder, Marinette hurried to catch up to the woman already bounding further away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! Meet the fox! She has her aesthetics mainly with playing around, but honestly, do any of us know how Trixx is going to be? Not yet, but I hope she's true to her ridiculous trickster appearance. Also, now you also know how Wayzz came to be with Master Fu and what his name was prior to mainly going by Wayzz. And to track where Marinette is compared to Adrien, it's Day Four in the original logs looking back at Chapter One. Days Eight and Nine are really the days to look forward to for some change, but that will be in two chapters.
> 
> Oh, and for those who were waiting, but don't follow me on tumblr, here's that [drawing of Adrien](http://artisticflutter.tumblr.com/post/159143698591/update-cocoon) I promised. Like, the original design was all good and still more human, but why would I wanna roll with that? Though, now that I think about it, the oversized claws and paws reminds me of Felicia from Darkstalkers hehe! Only, you know... he's suffering and she was born a kitty cat. Going back to drawing in general, I still need to draw out Nooroo/Noah, Wayzz/Wahyu, and now Trixx... Like, I have Nooroo, but only an Inktober drawing so yeah.
> 
> Next time in Cocoon...! 
> 
> ... Well, no, I don't wanna spoil it. Just check back next Wednesday and you'll see. As always, please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe! See you in the next chapter!


	7. Cataclysmic Event

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every hour of each day, the scene has never changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

This was a rare moment in the 7th arrondissement, but to be honest, Marinette had never been to the arrondissement this late at night so perhaps she shouldn’t be too surprised. Eventually, everyone including tourists had to turn in to rest and leave public landmarks, but that didn’t stop the general nightlife. They passed a fairly jubilant party going on at one apartment, but it was the weekend now, too. Still, did they have to play XY so loud? His music was so empty and the vibrations grated her antennae, but they were gone just as swiftly as they arrived that she could focus on following after the woman ahead of her again.

The fox woman bounded gracefully over the rooftops, moving with amazing fluidity that she might as well be the actual animal her awakened powers physically displayed on her body. She looped around chimneys and smokestacks, her tail just flicking out of sight as she darted over ledges or beneath outcroppings. Sometimes, a dark claw had to gesture to Marinette which direction they were going because she moved so swiftly. She couldn’t help feeling rather envious of the woman’s adaption, but said nothing, doing her best to just keep up instead with her more flight-reliant agility.

Several more minutes passed before they arrived upon the roof of what had to be one of the more luxurious complexes in the arrondissement. Her fleet-footed escort shifted onto all fours towards one balcony in particular, her shifting nature becoming more visibly relaxed. She said nothing, taking hold of the patio door frame and flipping inside, landing with a soft bump. When she didn’t come back out, Marinette considered going in, but decided to remain on the roof. To her, it felt like they were out of place and she expected the Fox Mutant would return so they could be on their way. Calling for her wasn’t an option; not without risking the chance of drawing someone’s attention. Sighing, she decided to sit down and have a look around while she waited.

Down below, the street traffic was low, but what she found the most interesting was the fact that, despite how close the apartment complex was to the Eiffel Tower, this was one of the rooms that didn’t face it, or Champ de Mars. In fact, there were no notable monuments nearby to see if one was to stand on this room’s balcony, but that wouldn’t change how expensive it had to be around here. It was still within walking distance of the great iron monument and its park as well as the Trocadero. Five minutes passed before she noticed the woman’s head peeking out and looking around before stepping out further and finally glancing up. One of her dark eyebrows rose while a large ear folded forward.

“What are you doing up there?”

“… Oh. Is this our destination?” Marinette asked, her face flushing as the violet-eyed woman nodded and disappeared back inside. She didn’t stand, but remained seated, antennae rubbing together in embarrassment before she eased herself down onto the railing and the balcony proper. Turning to face the interior, it was almost like a dream.

Though the lights were turned off, she could make out the pale cream walls and light, mahogany wood floors. The décor was modest filling what she assumed to be the living room. Two armchairs and a couch matched the walls, but the embellishments and threading were golden-yellow. Lilac throw pillows rested on the arms and appeared recently fluffed. They all bordered a very nouveau rug and the complimenting dark hardwood table upon it. Her eyes trailed along to look at the beautiful flower bouquet sitting as the centerpiece, but she blinked, and double took at the sight of the three teacups resting near the edge. There was nothing particularly unique about the fine china – some people thought it furthered the interior design when left out – but something about them being there seemed particularly deliberate.

“You may sit, Ms. Dupain-Cheng…”

Heart in her throat, she snapped her head towards the adjacent open wall that lead into the dining room.

She hadn’t heard the woman arrive nor did she hear a single step as they glided across the floor. Her long dress flowed and its train followed, but the only sound came when she finally set the teapot in her dark gloved hand down beside the teacups. Still in awe, Marinette took the woman in from the hood covering her head and face to the scarlet and royal blue shrug covering her shoulders. Now that she looked again, the dress’ trains behind her were five long silky strands tipped by large scarlet circles and single black dots in the centers. Overall, there was a beauty to her, but within the same instance, an unsettling mysterious air came off her as she sat down on the couch. Shuffling with the envelope still clasped in her fingers, Marinette moved over to the closest armchair and sat, feeling herself sink into the cushions.

“I’ve been expecting your arrival… even with Trixx’s unconventional greeting.” The woman spoke tonelessly that it was quite disconcerting. However, only Marinette shifted because the fox woman – whom she could assume was this Trixx – just walked in wearing her now familiar grin wide upon her lips and occupied the second armchair. The blue woman quietly served tea; Marinette didn’t know what to say to either of them.

“Duusu, I already told you. It’s a pyramid-shaped museum and with all the advertisements for the new Egyptian display, why let the chance go by?” Tail waving behind her, she leaned forward and picked up one of the steaming cups. “You’re no fun right now.”

Duusu said nothing in her defense, picking up a teacup herself once all three were filled. Marinette had to look between them both, one eyebrow rising. “If this is a bad time, I could come back tomorrow? I mean, I’ll leave the envelope since it’s for you…” She glanced at the blue-clad woman on the couch before lowering said document upon the table. “But Master Fu made it seem like I needed to come here in order to find something out.”

“Well, yeah you do, kit. You’re not ready to face Calamity…” Trixx replied, sipping her tea while Marinette choked across from the nonchalant retort.

“C-Calamity?” she coughed, setting her tea back down. Duusu’s head turned in Trixx’s direction, but the Fox Mutant stared straight ahead, intent on ignoring how her ears pulled back. Marinette could swear sweat was beginning to bead across Trixx’s forehead.

Heavy sigh to her right, Marinette’s eyes flitted back to Duusu. “As I’ve learned while living with Trixx, she rarely has tact when it comes to serious matters like this. Still, her powers are convenient for explaining the Fated Day…”

“Awe, what a compliment…!”

Managing to pull her eyes from Trixx’s wagging tail, again Marinette focused on Duusu. She could guess what ‘Fated Day’ the woman spoke of, but Trixx spoke of Calamity; however, as quickly as she thought of both back to back, her eyes fell. “Calamity… is that what you’re calling Adrien?”

Her hosts said nothing for several minutes, and her fingers tightened on her teacup.

“You could say that. Honestly, neither of us had a name to put to face,” Trixx hummed, claws tapping on the rim of her own cup. “That’s the thing apparently about visions, you know? You see the images, but you don’t hear anything. Anyway, what do you call a destructive event to a city that’s short of the apocalypse?” Marinette didn’t know if the fox woman expected an answer from her, or even if she should humor with an attempted answer. Her fingers were clutching her knees to keep them from shaking. Trixx pouted at the silence, but filled it shortly. “Fine, be a downer like Duusu. You call it a Cataclysmic Event, but that was a mouthful so we considered Cataclysm to shorten it before going with a synonym.”

“Enough… We’re infuriating Ms. Dupain-Cheng. She came here for information, not to remember her partner may destroy Paris,” Duusu reproached, Marinette flinching herself not only at the bite beneath the older mutant’s voice, but also the fact she had been read so simply. “… Do not mind Trixx too much. Her response to stressful situations is to be… jovial and avoid being direct which contributes to her name.”

“… If this is her stressed, maybe I should come back at another time.”

Marinette was patient, but she didn’t know if she could remain such especially at a time like this.

“Hold your horses, Marinette…” Trixx sighed, making the girl turn her eyes back to the fox. She now sat with her legs crossed and her head resting in the palm of one hand, violet-red eyes opened a little more and her lips actually thinned into a line. “I get it; the illusion needs to be set aside, but keep in mind you can’t _only_ focus on the Fated Day. For that matter, you can’t let your mind dwell on your friend’s suffering either if you’re going to save him. He _will_ be  in pain; he _is_ going to cause mass destruction. Those are both undisputed facts, but what are you going to do to save him and the city?”

Fidgeting, those were the questions Marinette had been asking herself days before coming here. Ever since Master Fu said what would happen, but she still hesitated.

“Well, I… figured I would use my powers. They managed to stop him plenty of times before.” She saw no reason why they wouldn’t work now. They were a duo according to Master Fu. “As for the city… I… I guess we have to try keeping damage minimal; catch him when he arrives in Paris and keep him in one arrondissement.”

A clattering cup beside her again, her eyes moved back to Duusu. Her fingers were laced together, and her dress trains seemed to twitch. “That will not be enough, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Your partner will be in his Primal Mutant form and you have yet to finish your normal mutation process. There’s no mistake that he _will_ overwhelm you.”

Marinette felt her heart sink and closed her eyes, fighting back the cold threatening to flood her. She hoped that wouldn’t be right, but she remembered at the facility – they had only given him a shot, but that had blinded her. Feeling that power flood into her body, but both of them had still been immature so it just managed to work out. However, she knew nothing about how strong they could potentially be, or how strong a Primal Mutant was. Her teeth chewed her bottom lip; she had to stay positive – there had to be a way.

“He would not do so of his own volition… but what would happen after that, I cannot say.” Eyes opening at Duusu’s words, Marinette was positive her heart ceased beating for a second. From beneath the blue hood, several eyes – five to be exact – were staring back at her, dark sclera wrapped around burning vermillion irises and deep black contracted pupils. “I have seen the day replay over and over for every hour I’m awake… and yet, I cannot see beyond. Blood, ruin, and utter despair, and I cannot see the light at the end…”

Gooseflesh rose over Marinette’s body, and she felt her hope waver. When she blinked, and she felt herself no longer sitting within the apartment. She could see Paris; see the buildings both burning and decayed to rubble and ash, the grass and trees shriveling and dying, falling upon dried earth and fractured sidewalks. Cars were overturned, wrecked, rusting, or both on the charred asphalt, similar destruction spreading. Dust and smoke obscured the sun, and were beginning to bring forth clouds which roiled angrily, threatening to spill rain and hail lightning.

Feeling her eyes open wider, she saw a dark form lumbering away from her. With each step it took, more around it fell into the same ruin already surrounding where she stood. It flickered, it smoked, and it oozed; somehow, it did every decrepit, destructive _thing_ off its malformed body, its heavy claws carrying the weary form further away… until it paused. Ears – she thought they were ears – rose and shortly, its head follow. There were several great intakes and exhales of air before a chilling rumble vibrated from the creature, rattling her entire body and rooting her to the ground.

Green filled her vision and she found herself gasping and still seated in Duusu and Trixx’s apartment. Both still watched her, but Trixx’s eyes were dimming back to their violet hue having been glowing acid green.

“W-Why did you do that!?” Marinette panted, glaring at the Fox Mutant as her racing heart tried to steady its beat. She looked unapologetic and Duusu raised her hand.

“I mentioned earlier that Trixx’s abilities would help explain the Fated Day…” she chirped, five eyes looking boldly back despite Marinette’s ire. “She showed you what I’ve described to her many times before. Though she may have taken some liberties with sound, that scene is constant and guaranteed. What happens next is unclear, but there is still a chance…”

The panic in her heart quelled, Marinette watched Duusu reach out and take the manila envelope from the table. Placing it in her lap, she extended a standard envelope back to Marinette and she accepted it with some apprehension. It felt weighty, but she didn’t open it, choosing to look up from it and at Duusu again.

“Payment for your delivery… Master Fu didn’t send you to us to help as you may think, but to guide you on. You were not the first Fortune Mutant Hawkmoth attempted to steal powers from, but the second. It’s the real reason behind your unbalanced mutations,” she explained, index finger gesturing to the envelope. “You’ll find your senior at the location I’ve written in your instructions.”

“Wait…”

“Do not misplace them. Only Trixx and I know where the two have been hiding, and Hawkmoth must not find them.”

“But…”

“You will find out once you meet them, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Their story is not mine to tell,” Duusu continued regardless of attempted interruptions on Marinette’s part. A second later, and she closed her mouth, remembering that she was talking to a Mutant with foresight. Her questions were known before she could even ask.

Two claws landed on her shoulder and she coughed, whipping her head to look up. Trixx stood above her, that now all-too familiar grin wide on her face again before she spoke. “It’s time for growing insects to get some sleep! I’ll walk you back to Master Fu’s in the morning where you have a lot to think about.”

“I…” Marinette started, but recalled that Master Fu said there wouldn’t be any harm. Lips pressing together tight, she felt like she was being treated like a child again by being whisked away to bed… but, wasn’t she? Weren’t they? Were they? Considering right now she was planning on how to counter ‘Calamity’ and save someone dear to her, was she a child anymore? Eyelids falling partway as she frowned, she nodded. “… Alright.”

It was too much to think about… She had to think about it and look at Duusu’s instructions once she returned to Master Fu’s. She would need rest to do that properly.

“Good! Follow me~”

Trixx didn’t even wait. Pulled to her feet, Marinette nearly stumbled to the ground, but caught herself. Trixx was all too eager to drag her away, but Marinette managed to spare a look back towards Duusu, noticing she had opened the manila envelope. Her hood obscured her face again from this angle, but why did her hands begin to tremble? What significance could that music hold to the older woman?

She let the thought recede into the back of her mind to consider later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there's a reason behind Trixx and Duusu being roommates, and how they can afford it, but idk if I should say...
> 
> ... Nah, I can tell you since they're not really spoilers and I'll probably put this information up later on my tumblr (along with drawings). First off, in this story, Trixx is a Mutant who lives closest to being Primal without going over. She embraces her powers and instinct, and is much more capable of using her illusion ability when compared to Volpina/Lila. She uses her powers to put on shows and gets paid for her 'incredible' feats. Though not really interested in being in Paris, she has her reasons.
> 
> Duusu herself is a concert pianist and composer, using her own foresight to 'hear' the music before it's done and correct mistakes. Now, if you think this is a silly use, it wasn't entirely clear in the chapter, but Duusu isn't constantly witnessing Calamity by choice. Instead, for her and viewing 'Fate', awakened Foresight Mutants are unfortunately continue seeing it until the event comes to pass, the visions becoming more frequent as the day draws near. By focusing on music, she isn't constantly watching Paris get destroyed and can actually try functioning in her day-to-day life until the Fated Day comes. However, at this point in time, she kinda is stuck with five eyes and... can't put on as many concerts.
> 
> I should have both characters up later on Tumblr as I mentioned... though, I need to draw Wayzz too and Nooroo again. I like worked out a height chart and everything for the characters with the shortest being Marinette and one of the tallest being... well, you'll see him next chapter WHICH I promise will not be as rushed feeling as this one. We will also be moving forward several days, but you'll understand again next chapter why. So as always, please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe! See you in the next chapter!
> 
>  **EDIT:** [Duusu and Trixx are now on Tumblr](http://artisticflutter.tumblr.com/post/159518744381/cocoon-drawing-update)


	8. The Natural and Prime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If she wants to learn, she must leave Paris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

Four days – in accordance to Duusu’s instructions - and Marinette headed out on her own from Master Fu’s Massage Parlor. Everything had been written down from packing to visiting Alya and Nino, and then Mr. Agreste the very evening she promised. The hand-written page was wrapped around a stack of euros. She wanted to return it after discovering it within the envelope, but then she came across the directions at the bottom to find the other Fortune Mutant: Èze, France.

She had never been there personally, but she knew it was in southern France and close to Nice. Flying would be the quickest method, but Duusu must have figured there wouldn’t be much chance of her getting onto an airplane or flying herself. The route directed was mainly public transport and apparently the quickest possible with quite a few transfers.

 

“Porte Maillot…”

 

That’s where she headed to after bidding Master Fu and Wayzz goodbye again, the old man smiling knowingly once more while Wayzz gave her snacks for her journey; sweets primarily which she appreciated. She was also grateful for Mr. Agreste’s gift – gifts would be more accurate.

He had prepared her clothes and a domino mask. The jacket had a zipper in the front with ladybug red and black spots over the shoulders, chest, and forearms. Black covered the cuts beneath her biceps and around her waist, stopping near her abdomen where the red and black cut through. On the back for her wings was actually clear vinyl which disappeared beneath an outlining hem and could be detached at her shoulders and safely pocketed.

He could’ve stopped there, but it must have been a similar designer urge to make a complete outfit because he made pants as well. They weren't as unique as the top by simply being black slacks, but longer than her usual capris which was just what she needed for the cooler weather. It might not be high-end Agreste, but she didn’t need anything ready for a runway. She needed something else that accommodated her changes at this time. The mask too; she didn’t know how he managed, but it would save her from covering up her face with make-up constantly. Maybe he had done something similar for Mrs. Agreste before she disappeared. And after making sure her antennae were tucked into her hair, people didn’t even look at her as she entered the public station and purchased her ticket.

Nobody looked at her twice while boarding the train.

It was a relief, but disheartening that it took this long to feel like another face in the crowd again.

Marinette settled in and slept for a majority of the ride to Cannes, awakening two hours before they arrived. Observing the landscape going by, she had taken her sketchbook out, but found herself unable to focus on designing anything. With a sigh and the book still on her lap, she opted to reading Duusu’s letter again, repeating the final instructions for when she arrived in Èze. Apparently, she had to ask for 'Pilirani' and someone would provide her with directions to find him. After that, she had to knock three times and ask for ‘Plagg’ or ‘Tikki’.

She had to avoid getting the names mixed up.

 

_“We will be arriving in Cannes shortly. If this is your destination, please make sure to gather all your belongings before your departure.”_

 

Looking up, Marinette tucked away the letter and made sure to pack up her duffel bag, preparing herself to stand once the train pulled in. She departed with her crowd and kept her head low as she hurried to catch her transfer. Another few minutes and she found herself rushing again to her third transfer in Gare de Cannes. Clutching her bag tight, she eyed the next crowd she rode with before gazing out the window.

Almost there and she was beginning to feel anxious. She had no idea what either Tikki or Plagg would be like, and the fact Duusu kept their story concealed made her wonder. If they were natural mutants, how did Hawkmoth try to use them? How did they get away? What had happened and what had happened to them since? She hoped speaking to them would provide her with an answer to save Adrien, Paris, and keep Hawkmoth from ever attempting to steal another mutant’s powers again. It was so much, but it needed to be done.

Disembarking at Gare de Beaulieu-sur-Mer, she again walked to the next stop, keeping her belongings close and watching the others she walked with. Some people separated, but she eyed one or two who had been on the long ride with her, recognizing one by their tie and another by a bracelet on their right wrist. She lost them as she sat down in the back and again looked out the window as the twenty-five minute ride carried her further towards the sea.

There was wild flora and distant mountain ranges as far as she could see that left her lips parted and eyes flitting to see more. It was far more green than she had seen that wasn’t within a city garden or park, and it was all undisturbed. As the inland rocky crags rose, of course she had to look up with them and her eyes opened wide. Beautiful cobblestone houses with terracotta tiled roofs were as far as she could see. Even down to the waters - mixed within the trees that significantly covered the shoreline - she saw more rooftops of similar structure rising above the lush green. It had to be the definition of a small, picturesque coastal village with the sea shimmering beneath the sun and white upon cresting waves. And somewhere down there were Plagg and Tikki.

 

_“Now approaching the stop for: Èze Village.”_

 

Head turning sharply to the front, she pulled the cord for the stop and gathered her bag for her final departure, a few more riders doing similar. Her grip adjusted and clenched as she made her way off, and again took in the splendor of the old town, soaking in how it reminded her of home in a way. Marinette would like to take more in, but she had to shake her head and focus. Later, if time permitted, perhaps then she would, but shifting her duffel, she hurried on her way.

Maybe luck would permit her to find a store nearby that would lead her in the right direction in one go.

 

* * *

 

Fortune Mutants must be able to hide from each other, or perhaps it was due to her inexperience properly manipulating her abilities because luck wasn’t on Marinette’s side. It was curious why the owner of a cheese shop knew where Pilirani lived and, upon finding out she intended to visit him, somehow roped her into taking three wheels of Camembert for delivery. The salty sea air wafting from the Mediterranean kept the pungent odor from assailing her nose for the long walk down the hill and out towards a point surrounded on three sides by water. It wasn’t the only house out this way, but it would be the closest with a small worn dock without a boat. Piled on the pier were lobster cages, nets, and rope which she could see at the very end neatly stacked around and up to the door.

Despite how modern the few neighboring houses appeared, the single-floor home was similar to the older housing back upon the hill with its cobblestone walls and terracotta roof, but a few modern accommodations being made. Its fiberglass door wouldn’t quickly crumble or rust to the sea air, and the windows seemed larger than normal, capable of letting in sunlight and the coastal breeze for the inhabitant – inhabitants. Pilirani lived here – Plagg lived here along with Tikki.

Which one was the mutant she needed to speak to, she didn’t know, but it was time to find out.

Exhaling, she raised her hand, knocking three times as Duusu’s instructions said. They didn’t say to wait, but Marinette did, listening for a response while ignoring her hair tickling her cheek.

 

She counted thirty seconds.

One minute...

Two…

 

“… Hello?” she finally called, hand ready to knock again, but hesitating. Just three knocks; she shouldn’t really deviate from Duusu’s instructions, but she knocked three more times. Duusu’s instructions hadn’t really included delivering Camembert either so she guessed there wouldn’t be anything wrong. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I came to speak to Plagg or Tikki? … The owner of the cheese shop also asked if I could deliver some Camembert?”

 

Mentally, she began counting again. Thirty seconds… one minute, tw—

 

The door clicked and she started, noticing that it had opened a crack. Thin chartreuse eyes peered at her from the slight part in the doorway, but she couldn’t make out anymore of the form. Marinette stood there quietly, the three wheels still in her arms and the duffel by her feet, and she could see the eyes glancing over everything.

“… Show me the note she sent you with.”

Startled by how deep the voice was and the similar but uniquely different accent tangled within his French like Wayzz, it took her a second to realize what he said. Shifting the wheels, she reached into her pocket and pulled out Duusu’s note and held it out. She could only figure he wanted to see that and again, she froze when the door opened more. Dark umber fingers heavily calloused from years of hard labor reached out and grabbed the note, reeling it back inside. For a second, the eyes disappeared and the door closed leaving Marinette to shift on her feet.

Beyond the door, she heard a muffled rattle and click.

The door opened wide.

Towering over her in the doorway was a man who easily rivaled Mr. Agreste in height, but broader physique. His dark skin nearly rivaled his shirt and both contrasted his beach shorts and again his incredibly green eyes. Thick, ebony dreadlocks topped his head, line-up at his forehead and pulled back into a ponytail that seemed to reach at least his shoulders. There were plenty of notable scars on his exposed skin, several crossing his left cheek, a deep one crossing his lips down to his chin, and then smatterings of others over his arms with a few that appeared more like burns.

“… Hello. My name’s Marinette, and—“

“Where’s your partner?”

Marinette blinked. The man held the note back to her and she pocketed it, one of her fangs lightly digging into her cheek. “He’s in trouble. I was told to come here because there was someone who could help me rescue him.”

“I don’t do rescue missions,” he grumbled, “They sent you to the wrong person for that.”

She felt her brow wrinkle and shook her head. “You don’t need to rescue him. Wait…” Running over her statement in her mind, she sighed, “Let me try that again. I was told to come here because there was someone who could teach me how to use my powers so _I_ could rescue him.”

His right eyebrow rising, she watched his eyes narrow before shifting to the side.

“Can’t help you. You need someone who can teach you about Good Fortune, but that isn’t here…” Stepping back from the doorway, he slowly began to close the door. “If you climb back up the hill now, you’ll still be able to catch the bus back.”

“The bus…?”

She thought she heard a click, but perhaps it was in her head. Something inside her was pretty close to snapping. Marinette didn’t understand why this man was so determined on turning her away. Why did he want to see Duusu’s note if he was going to be like this? “I can’t go back yet! Please, even if your powers deal with Misfortune, you must know how I can save him! He’s being forced to mutate into his Primal form!”

Grimacing, he was halfway to closing the door entirely.

“If you want to save him, you will show him mercy and end his life so he doesn’t have to suffer.”

His monotone response made her stomach drop and her fingers curled. She didn’t know what she had expected when she had originally set out the evening before, but that sentence was not it.

“… You… How can you say that?!”

_“Yes, Plagg. How can you say that?”_

A gentle, but scolding voice abruptly inquired, causing Marinette to blink and the man to turn his head sharply to look behind the door. For as much as he glowered before, his lips pulled tight and his eyes had widened, both brows rising.

“You’re supposed to be resting today…!” he hissed, closing the door a fraction more in some vain attempt to keep his conversation with his apparent present company private. However, the answer to his words was a scoff and tap.

“I would if you could politely send people away. Not only are you being so cold to someone who happens to have your cheese, you are trying to send away a young mutant who needs our help _and_ told her to kill her other half.” Before her, she watched the individual known as Plagg shrink, but their new arrival whom Marinette could only assumed was probably a woman wasn’t finished as she went on. “Are you trying to say something, Plagg? … Do you think I deserve that?”

“T-Tikki…”

“Let her in so we can speak, but… if she wouldn’t mind you taking me back first?”

“Ah…” Marinette straightened her posture and shook her head when a green eye fell upon her again. Right, it would be better if she actually spoke to the woman who was defending her. “I don’t mind waiting here for a moment.”

“Thank you. Plagg…”

Plagg looked thoroughly put out by everything, but he sighed and complied, closing the door but not locking it.

Marinette heard nothing from the other side and waited without a sound herself while her mind began running. She would _really_ have to thank this Tikki for being so kind, but it still alarmed her how much Plagg wanted her to leave. Her mind replayed the conversation, particularly the part where Tikki had asked if Plagg thought she had deserved that. What? Could she have possibly meant; but that would imply that these two…

What on earth had Hawkmoth done?

Door hinges creaked and Marinette snapped to attention. Plagg had returned once again with half-lidded eyes staring her down and lips turned into a grimace. He stepped aside and gestured with a hand for her to enter the dark dwelling. At his prompting, she shifted her cargo to pick up her duffel bag in one hand, but then paused to instead hand him the three wheels before grabbing her belongings.

Inside, the interior was surprisingly minimal and it smelled thickly of sea, but considering the equipment outside, perhaps the two occupants often worked with fish. Nothing decorated the walls, no small tables or lamps filled the corners of the room, and the floor was clear of decorative rugs. Again, considering the location, it could just be to avoid mildew, but Plagg silently prowling past her interrupted her thoughts. She skipped a step to follow after him, taking note how the bare walls and floor continued.

He led her to an open room, with plenty of windows to allow natural sunlight and the Mediterranean air in. Again, there was nothing on the pale walls and nothing spread across the floor, but unlike the room before, there was a table against the far right wall and an old, but currently silent radio. That was all for decoration and left the remainder of the empty room to be filled by two chairs and a worn couch.

Marinette blinked.

One chair was occupied; the one most concentrated in sunlight.

Her long ombré hair reminded Marinette of Alya, but where Alya’s gradually turned from deep amber to a bright russet orange and held more curls, this woman’s transitioned from warm amber to black at the tips that waved around her mid-back. Or did it? The crown of her head was black too, fading into amber and then back. The patterning seemed familiar.

“You can sit down. It’s okay…” the woman said, not turning her head, but Marinette could somehow hear her smilingly, possibly in a reassuring manner. Eyes falling upon the only other chair here, she walked over and slowly sat down, noting how firm the cushion was. Shifting a little, she looked up and gasped softly.

Indeed, the woman was smiling – very warmly too with her rosy lips - but that wasn’t what startled Marinette. It was the way her copper skin had a familiar scarlet hue around her eyes and over her temples. Then, there was a matter of the pale, almost bleached band of skin around her throat and what looked like remnants of scarred tissue that varied between flushed red and pale gray which covered her chest until it disappeared beneath the collar of the white dress she wore. Two curls – no, two antennae rose from the woman’s hair and twitched, and large, milky blue eyes opened wide.

“I never thought I would meet another mutant like me…” she said, the smile still wide on her face. “We’re supposed to be pretty rare, but this is just part of being lucky, right?”

Marinette was still processing while the woman rubbed her knees hidden underneath her skirt, pausing when she realized something. “Oh, my name’s Tikki. Or, that’s the name I use now… I’m sorry about Plagg. He can be… very protective these days.”

“Marinette… and you are his partner. He has his reasons,” Marinette managed to reply, her mind abuzz in wonder as she removed her domino mask and let her own antennae rise from her hair. Tikki wouldn’t see her spots, but there wasn’t a reason to wear it in the presence of fellow mutants really.

Sighing, Tikki shook her head.

“He does, but that doesn’t mean he gets to be rude. You said you needed help, and being told to kill your other half is _not_ helping.” She raised her voice a little for emphasis and Marinette didn’t doubt that Plagg missed that inflection wherever he had walked off to. Lips drawn into a thin line, Tikki tilted her head down and closed her eyes. “… Tell me, what happened to your Misfortune, Marinette? What happened to your cat?”

Marinette didn’t say anything.

Rightfully, she thought, there was a reason for hesitation. Before her was her senior, and evident on her body were signs of what were probably Hawkmoth’s past torment. Not only her, but Plagg as well bore scars – immortal memories of their suffering etched onto their skin. Talking about it with people who had no idea was bad enough, but with someone who knew; Marinette didn’t want to remind her. But Tikki seemed to be waiting patiently with her fingers laced together and a look of calm.

Maybe… she already had an idea.

Marinette didn’t know how much Tikki had heard her telling Plagg, but after what she had done, she couldn’t deny answering the question forever. So, she began to retell the tale she had told before; to her parents, to Officer Raincomprix and the detectives, to Alya and Nino, and to Mr. Agreste. An just like them, Tikki remained quiet, listening as Marinette spoke and only nodding for her to continue when she paused.

“It’s been over a week now, and Duusu and Master Fu both agree that he’s… he’s going to come back to Paris in his Primal form and destroy the city,” Marinette finished and instinctively tightened her grip on her knees. “I don’t know what I can do. Duusu told me to come here to maybe learn how to use my powers and finish my own mutations, but…”

“I can’t…”

Marinette thought that might be the answer. She had hoped that maybe Tikki would be more willing than Plagg was, but again, she couldn’t blame the woman. Then, she would go back to Paris and try to figure out something there with everyone else; do what she could to try saving Adrien. Even if she would be overwhelmed, even if it would be hopeless, if it would possibly let her see him one more time…

“Marinette, I can’t show you myself, but I can instruct you on how our powers work. And since Plagg’s powers work almost like ours, I’m sure I could convince him to demonstrate some things.”

“… What?”

She couldn’t believe what Tikki had said.

“Hawkmoth… he’s a monster,” Tikki whispered. Her hand were forcefully fidgeting, gripping blistered skin to a point that Marinette saw them turn purple. “After we got away, I didn’t think it was possible for him to find other mutants like the two of us. And the fact he’s making your Misfortune becoming Primal too, I’m sorry.” She raised her hand and placed it on her chest, shaking her head. “Fortunately, being Primal… it may eat your mind, but it doesn’t take your heart. I know it doesn’t, but not until he hurts your other. That’s when you can really… that’s when you risk never returning…”

“… Your wounds…?”

Marinette hesitated to fully ask.

Tikki smiled, and Marinette could see a few tears slipping from her eyelids.

“He had us for weeks, trying to take our powers through various torture methods… Plagg had been forced to be a soldier before we met and was familiar with the abuse, b-but I couldn’t bear it. I had just started losing control that day.” She let out a shuddering breath. “Hawkmoth wanted to push me even further. He didn’t _intend_ on fatally harming Plagg as he did… b-but his heart stopped beating and that’s the last I remember before I saw nothing but red. All that misfortune I caused after draining every speck of fortune permanently darkened Plagg’s skin even more.

“When I finally was back to normal, my powers had left my body severely burned and patterned by my mutated form. He took me to Master Fu since I couldn’t heal myself… they both did their best. It hurts, but somedays are better.”

Rubbing the wet trail on her own cheek, Marinette barely managed to meet Tikki’s pale eyes. She had no idea when she started crying, but she couldn’t stop. The woman managed to smile – somehow, she could just keep smiling.

Marinette didn’t understand how.

“Your Misfortune – Adrien will be looking for you. I want you to be able to save him and have the power to stop Hawkmoth…” Tikki said, more tears falling. “If only I had got him then, I could have stopped this. I’m so sorry… You two didn’t deserve to suffer.”

Both of their antennae quivered at the faint thudding footsteps, but only Marinette saw Plagg rush into the room to stand by Tikki. The moment his hands touched her shoulders she raised her own to clutch his fingers with trembling digits.

“That’s enough now.” A rumble rose from his chest. “You’ve said enough.”

“She needed to know, Plagg… so please.”

Though Marinette saw him scowl, she also saw the moment he relented. His eyes softened and his face relaxed, all while his hands slipped away from Tikki’s and wrapped around her shoulders and legs. He picked her up very similarly to how Adrien would hold Marinette, cradling her to his chest whenever she needed it. Tikki looked so small and frail, but Marinette was still amazed at how she could also appear content.

Plagg looked at Tikki with so much tender care; the next wary eye he sent towards Marinette didn’t make her waver like it did before. She waited for him to say anything; if he was going to say anything. He seemed preoccupied with his purring.

“Hey…”

Or, maybe he wasn’t that preoccupied.

“Yes?”

“… Get up,” he breathed. “Since you’re staying with us, I should show you where you’re staying.”

Twisting her duffel’s grip, he didn’t need to say more. Marinette was on her feet, rubbing her cheek one more time for good measure. Now that she knew, they didn’t have to do this. They could turn her away and she wouldn’t be mad, wanting the two to have their peace as well. She would have to do her best and learn quickly in order to leave them to their quiet again.

“Thank you, Plagg, Tikki…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is on what is Day Eight for Adrien in the first chapter. AND NOW, time for a skip!
> 
> So, how many of you have been waiting for Tikki and Plagg this long? Ta-da! Here they are, and unfortunately, I do not presently have them drawn up because of ML Angst Week and the fact _I got into the Chat Noir Appreciation Fan Zine ahhhh_! So, I'll have them sometime soon, just not right now.
> 
> Well, actual note time. Gabriel's jacket is based on Thomas Astruc's fourth Adult Ladybug design, but the pants are standard pants. She both stands out and doesn't, but tomato tomatoe.
> 
> Besides that, let's talk about Plagg and Tikki. Plagg is a fisherman - he was born into a family of traditional fishers and is the oldest of several siblings. However, he was taken from home and forced to become a soldier. Meanwhile, Tikki is an only child and was working as a volunteer when the military came through which is how they met... and mutated. This was briefly mentioned some time ago, back in the... thirteenth chapter of Crawl(ing). Anyway, remember Hawkmoth mentioning how Adrien has a 'disgusting' healing factor? Well, Plagg has the same as in they both don't exactly 'die' that easily. Not that Mutants normally would, but these two are very bad with actually Wayzz and Master Fu trumping them by being a little faster. It's still enough to make Tikki turn Primal and saved with... varying degree of success. Silver linings...!
> 
> Well, that's all I can think to say right now besides check back later on my Tumblr for drawings of Plagg and Tikki. Next chapter, we're going back into the facility. So, for now and as always, please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe! See you in the next chapter!


	9. Papillion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First, there was fear, then nothingness... He thinks he likes inspiring something else though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

Nooroo had only been to a zoo once when he was a young child. He didn’t grow up in a place that should have a zoo, but it had one anyway; and given his father’s income, he had originally been grateful they could go for the day at all. However, it was that same day that his powers manifested – not strongly, but they appeared. The torrid of foreign emotions invading his mind ruined an already spiraling day as they passed animals pacing in pens far too small or completely inadequate for their survival. The tension must have been building up without anyone being aware for a while, but he would never forget seeing the zoo keeper mauled to death by the puma they had been trying to feed.

Fear and emptiness etched themselves into Nooroo’s mind from that day.

Sitting in his observatory at Apatura, he thought about that puma – thought about how it paced back and forth with shoulders and ribs visible beneath its dusty tan fur that had missing patches everywhere. Though it was starved, it was unable to settle and watched the few visitors with intense golden eyes.

They never went to another zoo, and Nooroo never went himself after his father's passing.

He felt like he was watching that puma again, but the puma’s name was Chat Noir.

The young mutant had begun pacing shortly after he had balked at his food yet again and swiped it away, causing it to splatter against the wall with a massive claw. The sound of his chains rattling until pulled tight echoed in Nooroo’s ears. Those dreadful hands were not something to be on the end of anymore; or more, being within the general vicinity of Chat Noir would be a risk to one’s health. Nooroo could see bones and muscles move beneath taut ashen skin as the cat mutant circled his enclosure upon all fours, the spot on his back constantly wafting a mysterious smoke as his claws clicked with each movement and soft padded hind paws quietly followed. Five toes made them more humanoid, but with the extended ankle giving to the digitigrade legs, could they still be called human?

The physician had never seen a change gone so far as to lend over the animalistic qualities so drastically. He himself had sprouted wings and antennae before, but that had been all. Chat Noir circled back and Nooroo blinked, noting he finally paused. Raising his head, acid green eyes looked through long and paling blonde locks towards the wall – towards the two-way barrier they had last allowed him to see ‘Ladybug’. Sitting back, Nooroo saw what the other mutant did – the images of an exhausted illusion that barely managed to smile towards her ‘companion’ locked on the other side – Volpina all the meanwhile wanting to run, her instincts screaming at her that the moment the trick no longer worked was the moment she would die.

And yet, Nooroo was getting unfortunately better at keeping her there and forcing her to use just enough that Chat Noir cooperated a little longer.

This couldn’t keep going though.

Eventually, those chains would break. The luck that crafted them was being steadily eroded away without the source available to maintain its form. Luck could not hold out to misfortune forever, and this building would not withstand the destructive energy that was building within Chat Noir.

Ladybug – no, Marinette – was the only human thing still clinging to his mind. Her voice, image, name, and the memories kept Chat Noir grounded, but Hawkmoth’s increasing demands to show her in more vulnerable conditions were pushing too much too fast. At least, that’s what Nooroo believed. If this wasn’t enough for what Hawkmoth wanted then what did that man want? And if Chat Noir became completely Primal, Nooroo couldn’t guarantee maintaining control or even keeping his own mind together.

He shouldn’t even be using his own powers like this.

If only he hadn’t been separated from Trixx.

Needles piercing his flesh, he raised his left hand and gripped his right arm, clamping his bicep harshly as it started to happen again. Chat Noir’s mind wavered away from Marinette and began spiraling, turning towards his inhumane desires to escape and destroy. Hunt,  _ hunt,  _ **_hunt_ ** **,** visceral images of his claws tearing through flesh that wasn’t his own and his teeth sinking into bones that snapped like twigs flooded Nooroo’s vision and practically choked him with how much pleasure was behind it; how much he wanted to  _ devour everything  _ **_he could get his fangs into_ ** .

He was never surprised by how much Chat Noir wanted to do that, but it left him shaken how much Nooroo himself began to considering doing the very same.

Shuddering, he felt his pale eyes widened behind his thick-rimmed glasses once he noticed his fingertips darkening like he had abruptly contracted frostbite. He tried twisting his arm, cutting off the circulation – doing  _ anything _ that could possibly stop the change as his nails sharpened to razor points, but it was growing further still. Where it stopped at just his wrists the previous times, he watched it progressing up and beneath his white sleeve, and he could feel the new pale protruding hairs progressively coating his skin only to stop around his elbow as he shut his eyes tight.

Another mind stirred in conjecture with his own transformations – he could feel Volpina beginning to reject the overflow of thoughts he was receiving and pushing unto her. Squinting eyes watching her screen, she was pulling – no clawing at her hair and ears, and curled in the fetal position.

 

_ Fire… screams… red upon his hands as he walked… _

 

“A-Ah…!”

Nooroo’s chair rocketed back as he shot to his feet, but then collapsed to his knees, not sure if the cracking was his kneecaps or the tiles of his own cell.

The prickling rose faster on his arm, rushing towards his shoulder, but that wasn’t all. From the base of his spine up to his neck, he started to feel an itch. It developed into something clawing, ripping, and soon tearing into his skin and muscles. Liquid began to trickle down his back, oozing like watered down glue as it clung, bonding his clothes to his back and spreading over his legs while he shuddered. The next moment he could properly breathe between his hyperventilation, his senses were assailed by the thick stench of decay that there might as well be mounds of decomposing corpses around him.

Shutting his eyes, he covered his mouth to stop himself from getting sick as the rotten fluid swiftly began to rise, but his throat burned all the same and saliva pooled on his tongue. It was climbing his legs and submerging his knees, climbing higher and higher past his hips and waist with the odor becoming more pungent.

It wasn’t really – this couldn’t be real. Between two minds warring in his head; one of ill fortune and the other of illusions, this couldn’t be happening.

 

_ Die, die, die, die die diedie _ **_diediedieDIEDIE!_ **

 

Bile tickled his teeth before he tried something desperate.

The claws grown upon his fingers, he slammed them into his knee and yelled once he ripped into his own thigh. He drew his hand slowly up to his hip, whimpering and ignored how his glasses fogged up before becoming blurred, tears trapped behind them. He almost vomited still; instead, the mixture of bile and saliva trickled from his lips and onto his dry knees, the black tar substance that previously threatened to drown him gone. Transferring the pain onto Volpina, she too seemed to snap from her trance, but Chat Noir was unchanged.

 

Rampage, carnage, get him,  **_kill him_ ** , find?… find – KILL, help…  _ help _ …

 

Chains violently pulled and snapped before a screeching roar rang throughout most of the facility. Nooroo dragged himself back towards his console ignoring his wounded leg to see what was going on in Chat Noir’s cell.

He was manic, thrashing about his room again, gnawing at his chains, but switching to his arm like a frenzied coyote attempting to flee its trap. He managed to get further this time, but it wasn’t fast enough before his healing caught up and left him trying to rip his claws out through the cuffs. Further the fortune deteriorated and he yowled again, crashing into the far wall, banging his wrists hard to damage the weakening bonds.

Nooroo covered his mouth at the view of Chat Noir’s back.

Instead of the black sparks that previously ignited his unstable mind, there was something thick and clotted oozing from the dark mark instead. It seemed to try and coat his skin only to dribble off leaving angry burning red wakes upon his gray form that swiftly healed and released smoke. Nooroo didn’t understand; what was going on now? Shaking his head, figuring out what was going on would have to wait until he got it to  _ stop _ . Calm, he had to try influencing something that he never truly had before. It would be his first attempt to will something that he actually wanted to instead of something he was told.

 

And what calmed Chat Noir?

What calmed Adrien in his deteriorating mind?

 

Nooroo panted, gripping his own bloodstained leg to steady himself as he dove into the fragile mutant’s mind. The force upon him was immediate, but he allowed his claws to pierce his still mending thigh in order to keep himself from becoming overwhelmed, reaching farther into the fractured specks, piecing together the memories that calmed him.

 

_ Dreams, memories, sugary warmth and soft comforters… _

 

The mind still continued to furiously claw at him. Nooroo clawed his own leg harder, ignoring the dizzying scent of rusted pennies. He hated it, but he pressed.

 

_ Night skies, sun baths, rain softly drumming on the roof… _

 

Besides a few splutters, the pressure was lessening, and clarity slowly began to return. Nooroo could feel himself breathe easier.

 

_ Gentle whispers, welcoming blue eyes,  _ her _ … _

 

Thoughts again of Marinette rebuilt in Chat Noir’s mind and Nooroo carefully slipped back out of the once-thrashing mutant’s head, relinquishing his grip on his leg. Focusing on the monitor again while his leg continued to bleed, he saw Chat Noir settled in the corner closest to the bed, curled tightly beneath the light sheet from the mattress. It was another minute or two before Nooroo sighed in relief, feeling Chat Noir had slipped into slumber and dream of better things and better days. The raking in his back ceased and the prickling on his arm faded, the pure furs falling from his already moderately pale skin and his claws returning back to his chipped nails from before.

Was that what it was like, Nooroo wondered, to use his powers to bring comfort and not experience pain? It was different, new… and he felt himself smile. He had done something worthwhile, but then, he frowned.

Hawkmoth would not be pleased to know what he had done. He was supposed to be getting used to Chat Noir’s ferocity and learning on how to use it; how to make the beast bend to his command so when Hawkmoth decided to bring back Ladybug.

 

… No.

 

His fingers curling against the tiles and his leg, he felt his brows knit again in a very unfamiliar fashion: frustration. How long had it been now that he allowed his cowardice to keep him here; to keep him in Hawkmoth’s servitude? How many artificial mutants had Hawkmoth collected and scrapped in his search? Plenty while he was here, but far more before he even came to this place.

Leg still healing, Nooroo shakily rose to his feet and grabbed his chair again, rolling it back over to his monitors. Looking from Chat Noir to Volpina, there was something he could do – one last time, and then… maybe Hawkmoth would decide to replace him, or maybe he could get away, too. He didn’t know, but this held potential.

Volpina’s mind reeled in fear, and he froze. He thought about the zoo; the puma and the zoo keeper.

Fear before nothingness…

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and refocused on Volpina, reaching gently into her mind and her pool of emotions. Fear, fear, anger, fear, leave, escape…

As with Chat Noir, Nooroo picked out the fragments he could, of everything positive and hopeful that she had still present in her mind. He worked without words, bringing together her visions of being in the sun, walking along the streets of Venice, posing before the Roman Colosseum, but most importantly, there were faces. They were people smiling, hands reaching out to welcome her into hugs, and voices calling Lila. It seemed that was enough to still her shivering and coax her from her huddled position on the floor. Careful, releasing the breath he held again, Nooroo allowed his presence to be known.

For a split second, she recoiled, but he wove and worked, again drawing on everything positive with sweat beading his forehead. He had never done this; he had only forced her to cooperate until now, but he tried to come across as apologetic for everything he made her do. She shouldn’t be here; he wanted to help her home.

 

_ ‘Please _ , _ ’ _ he thought, ‘ _ please, I want to help you two go home. I will even give you my guidance and strength, everything I can.’ _

 

There was a bite in answer, something he anticipated and rightfully flinched at while retaining his empathetic presence. He would allow her to mentally assault him; it was everything he deserved after putting her through this, but she seemed to stop once she realized he would remain resilient.

 

_ Freedom… _

 

A thought – her thought, a desire, and a want.

 

_ Freedom… _

 

His answer – his promise if she would allow him to properly guide her this time.

There was still hesitance, but he did note how her eyes flickered as she rose to her feet, both ears coming to stand to a point. Nooroo’s own eyes were glowing – he could see the bright lavender reflected on his monitors. It was time to give these mutants back their freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter in which Nooroo finally acts.
> 
> If you have noticed, I've cut back one chapter because the original plan had it as... I feel like a filler? It would've been mostly nonsense for a few reasons so it's become more or less merged between the next chapter and the following.
> 
> By the way, with this chapter, we now begin entering the climax of the story. Who's ready for things to go craaazy? I am! I'm excite! I've been waiting for this part for a while and I'm the one writing it. Then again, I guess it's because I wanna see your reactions, hee... ohhh, I should draw Plagg and Tikki as I promised. Same with Nooroo and Wayzz. I'll get on that in a moment. I take a break from writing after each chapter goes up so might as well get drawings out.
> 
> Well, I don't have much to say besides hold onto your chairs/horses/etc. for the next chapter cause it's time to get crazy. For now, please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe. See you in the next chapter!


	10. Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chain has come undone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

It was obvious to Nooroo that he was not welcome in her mind, but Volpina – Lila she corrected with a sharp prod back - did not make any further attempts to remove him. He was grateful for that, and he would do his best to make it worth her while; he promised after all, to give her freedom, or at least, get her out of this place in order to obtain it yet again. Her memories were curious, but he knew better than to fully delve into them. They were neither his place nor was there the time to do such a thing. There was something they _needed_ to do at the moment if he was going to get either of them out.

Right on schedule, the handler looking after Lila arrived at her door.

This was it then.

As before with Chat Noir, she quickly wove her next illusion, clouding their eyes to make it appear as though she were tucked into bed in the room. Considering her last outing had only been the previous day, she should be exhausted. However, the connection between them, Nooroo could feel his own energy being stripped away from him – energy he was perfectly content with giving up if it meant helping the two teenagers right now.

Slipping aside, Lila pressed flat against the wall as the secured door open and she watched as the nurse entered. Played this trick once, Nooroo briefly felt a flicker of realization that it might not fool the handler again for too long. He did nothing to stop her, becoming again a silent observing force as the artificial fox mutant darted out the door and shut it, using her claws to tear the panel so it couldn’t be opened. The handler mutedly hammered the door on screen, but Lila was already gone, sprinting down the hallway on the balls of her feet.

Soon, they would call for backup and report her escape.

Eventually or perhaps not…

Noticing that Lila had paused, his eyes opened when she faced the camera and showed him part of the handler’s contact radio. When had she even grabbed it? He didn’t expect her to have such sticky fingers. Her lip quirked and she crushed it in her fist, sweeping the pieces aside with her tail after it fell to the ground. Nooroo mentally applauded her for the action he hadn’t even considered.

 

_‘Alright. With that out of the way, you need to reach Chat Noir. I’ve managed to subdue him for the time being.’_

 

She shot a look back at the camera and her tail snapped in one direction. He flinched at her ire, but swiftly tried to console her.

 

_‘I-I know your interactions with him so far haven’t been the best, but if you can convince him that you’re helping him and Ladybug escape, his powers will be able to help you break out, no illusions necessary.’_

 

Lila still scowled, but rolled her eyes, giving him a scathing concurrence to go along with his asinine plan. Nooroo pursed his lips; his plan was not asinine, but they were not getting into this debate right now. Eyes back on his monitors, he already had her path in mind; it was a matter of keeping encounters with the other employees minimal and limiting her power usage. A thought bubbled from her and came to him.

 

_‘How will I convince him?’_

_‘I’ll help you persuade him. Just get there safely…’_

 

His thought trailed in that instance, eyes back on the monitor as a scientist was about to enter her corridor. She had heard them; ears high, she was frozen with widened eyes, but Nooroo was prepared to act still.

 

_‘Turn invisible!’_

 

Of course, less turn invisible and more, make the scientist see an empty hallway. It was fortunate that Lila didn’t need to make eye contact to weave her illusions into reality; even so, her eyes did still lock with the scientist momentarily and remained on him as she slipped aside, allowing the worker to bypass without encountering her physically. She lingered, watching their retreating back turn a corner before making her move again, Nooroo once again feeding her the route.

Chat Noir’s room was unique in the facility. The one room where Lila had conducted her illusions for their tests was just one of four actually surrounding the single, isolated cell the cat mutant occupied. Three – with Lila and Nooroo’s room included – were strictly for observation, Lila’s room capable of two-way observation, but the fourth room provided physical access to the room through another security door. While Nooroo could provide the code to enter, a card was still required. He could not alter her course in order to get his, but Chat Noir’s night shift handler was on her path.

Again, her illusions and sticky fingers allowed Lila to slither close and slip away with the security card, the handler unaware that they'd been pocketed. Soundlessly, she put distance between herself and the handler, taking the first right to the first observation deck as opposed to the familiar third deck that would be further down. Presently, since they weren’t running any tests due to Lila ‘recuperating’, the observation rooms were empty. Using the security card to get into the first room, Nooroo disabled the lights just in time as the door opened to Lila on screen.

She stepped in slowly, soundless upon light feet and keeping close to the walls cast deep within the shadows. He felt her nerves return upon spotting Chat Noir through the one-way wall, noting that he was asleep and again, making her uncertainty apparent to Nooroo.

 

_‘You’re going to be fine. His slumber will keep him subdued and more compliable. He might be grumpy, but he’ll listen.’_

 

Again, her answer was a bitter prickle, but she approached the secured door all the same. Before she slid the card, he chirped:

 

_‘19102015.’_

 

Her deft fingers tapped the code into the numerical lock, a fleeting, but obviously sarcastic cheer rising from her thoughts as the door unlatched itself. While he had been hearing Chat Noir’s faint snores through the monitor’s speakers, Lila had to only be hearing them now given the way her ears rotated. She was still hesitant and while he couldn’t blame her, they both heard Chat Noir grunt.

 

_‘He’ll wake up on his own whether you enter or not. You should convince him you’re a friend before that happens.’_

 

Discontented, she conceded that it would be better for her to be his ally anyway. The fox tried to walk with some confidence, but her fight or flight response became prominent the closer to the room she got. Chat Noir was shifting, ears rising and his nose curling. They both heard his breathing roll into a growl and Nooroo watched as his claws came out from beneath his blanket. When Lila appeared on the room’s monitor, the mutant had roused as anticipated. Luminescent green eyes focusing on the unfamiliar intruder had him lumbering to his pawed feet, but his growl was unchanged.

 

Confusion… ears… recognition of another…

 

Nooroo blinked curiously at the thought process, but realized that, until this point, Chat Noir had only interacted truly with one other mutant: Ladybug. Besides her, it had been Hawkmoth and his staff – humans. He wouldn’t know if another like himself was friend or foe, something he informed Lila, gave her an advantage. All she needed to do was remain calm, but he knew that was already adding more pressure onto her situation.

 

_“… Hey, you’re Ch… Adrien, right?”_

 

Starting with his actual name was good. At least it made him stop growling and cock his head.

Nooroo held his breath.

 

_“My name’s Lila. I’m here to get you and your friend Marinette out of here after I saw some crazy news report. I’d recognize Hawkmoth leaving someone half-mutated anywhere…”_

 

Oh, she was good; much more astute in fabricating stories without her illusions than he first thought. Though, maybe having that skill was the hint of a fox. It left it up to them whether they spun the truth, or merely lived on lies. Her story was working though; Chat Noir was attentive, but not yet willing to follow. A little more, Nooroo pressed to Lila, and he watched her ear flick.

 

_“Look, if you’re wondering why it took so long, you guys are pretty far out from Paris, and slipping into this place is hard. I could only bring like… a few people I trust with me, and they’ve taken Marinette ahead since she wasn’t doing well.”_

 

Nooroo flinched at a hot flash. Chat Noir’s ears had pulled back and he was growling.

 

_“Hey, hey! Don’t do that… Look, if we leave now and get to Paris, you can do all you want to take care of her. After that, we come back and take care of Hawkmoth when he’s actually here, alright?"_ She paused. _"_ _Though, if you wanna cause a little destruction on the way out… Let’s get those cuffs off.”_

 

Nooroo paled slightly. He had been hoping she would do that _after_ they were outside to avoid drawing attention – though, Chat Noir leaving his confinement would already do that. While Nooroo might be monitoring, if his cell happened to begin deteriorating, the alarms would sound off. Hawkmoth did not want to lose any more of the facility to Chat Noir’s misfortune…

Nooroo did not realize he would be woefully unprepared for those dotted chains hitting the ground either.

They didn’t even hit the ground when the tidal wave crashed upon him and its swift currents ripped him outward before he could even begin to swim against them. He never assumed that the cuffs had been holding back more than just his powers, but he was being crushed mentally and physically. He lost his sight and only heard the alarms start blaring only to fall deaf to them. His communication with Lila was gone, broken by the choking need to again destroy everything.

Suffocating, he could see…

 

… the room crumbling around him.

… claws ripping through fluorescent lit hallways.

… handlers and scientists barring his path, trying to trap him again.

_Get away… die die die die diediediedieDIEDIEDIEDIE_ **_DIEDIEIDIEIDIEIDIEIDIE…!_ **

 

His head rang with their screams and a satisfied rumble emanated from his chest. Soon, the hallway was like the cell – deteriorating to ash around him, but this wasn’t where he needed to be. A flicker of orange and the thoughts of her returned, drawing a groan.

_Marinette… My Lady… Love, Queen I…_

Nooroo’s head throbbed. For a moment, he came back to himself, but… but was this him? He didn’t recognize these arms or claws and his back felt heavy. Had he shifted to his mutated form? He didn’t remember… he didn’t know why it seemed like he was swallowing blood.

Blinking, he was back in the hallway, black fissures spreading down the walls and the door leading to the hangar deteriorating before he reached it. A flash of orange, but it was gone again once he stepped into the open space. From the crown of his head and down the length of his spine, something was secreting from his body, oozing over scarred and furred flesh, running over his eyes and nose. It smelled like… it smelled…

Decay – garbage left to be broken down in the boiling sun and infested waters. Destroyed and withering bodies reduced to bones and left to the earth to become nothing. Tar-like blackness was encasing him, filling his nose and mouth, but it felt good. Like his blanket, that warmth and safety that it provided, but it not entirely correct. It needed – he needed – her.

Safe, warm, and sweet…

Together; they would be together and safe from the world. He would keep her safe and then he would get Hawkmoth, but he needed to find her, claws ripping through the barricade. Grass crumbled beneath his paws and trees ignited to quickly burn to ash.

 

_“M-Marinette…”_

 

“Nooroo…”

 

Head popping as he forced it to turn, Nooroo’s shining lavender eyes bulged when he saw Hawkmoth standing at the door. He couldn’t move and he flinched at brief flashes back to the burning forest and the ever growing corrosion. Gloved hand on his throat, Nooroo choked and felt his feet leave the ground. His trembling claws grasped Hawkmoth’s wrist, but he could not tear through the man’s sleeve to even get at his skin.

Hawkmoth was smiling.

Nooroo whimpered.

“How does it feel being connected to such a creature?” the masked man asked, his smile still holding. “Wonderful, isn’t it? All that power… Keeping you wallowing in despair has finally made you useful. And now, you’re going to keep Chat Noir on course for Ladybug.”

“A-Ah…”

The hand squeezed his throat harder. He gagged, struggling to speak.

“… N… No. I… r-refuse…”

Hawkmoth’s steel-blue eyes flashed.

“Oh? Nooroo… Since when was I giving you a choice?”

Dark wings rising, Nooroo remembered nothing more.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was a fun attempt by Nooroo. This chapter, despite it's short length, has made my beta reader reconsider looking at our friendship and beta-ing for me in general. Oh man, it's hilarious, but yeah! Like... things are just reaching the climax; nothing gets to be all hunky dory right now, everything is tragedy.
> 
> And now that I'm on break for today, I need to work on these designs again. If it's not clothes, it's the body build or both and then you draw several different designs until something works.... ugh, and I need to draw Wayzz too.
> 
> Huh, now for things I actually need to say... Oh, look at that! Only a few chapters left. How do you guys think this story is going to wrap up... or at least, this part? We're all heading back to Paris now for that final showdown with Adrien being very headless Forest Spirit. If anyone gets that reference (and the code in the chapter), maybe I'll draw something for you. First come, first serve basis! Anyway, details on Adrien's Primal form will be in the next chapter and Marinette is gonna be hurrying back to save him. As always, please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe. See you in the next chapter!


	11. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's heading home, but what will she be met with?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

Nearly two weeks passed before her departure arrived. Èze had been lovely, and Plagg and Tikki quite hospitable after early tensions passed more on Plagg’s part than either Ladybugs present. Not that Marinette could blame him for his behavior as they gradually taught her more about Primals.

Just as Master Fu explained before, Mutants under great duress gave into their Instincts, and as Tikki said, they lost their minds, but not their hearts. Even in that state, they could still respond to those the Mutant had recognized before the devolution took place. Details of their rampage – _should_ that happen - would not be remembered in detail, but memory fragments could plague the mind like a ceaseless nightmare and the state would leave behind other reminders.

For Tikki, she had vague flashes of multiple limbs and red. Red was how their fortune manifested itself when they were enraged normally, but this had been deeper, burning and had the horribly familiar metal tang often associated with blood. It seared her flesh, leaving her with burns that were the source of chronic pain, and the chitin that had grown on her arms and legs left her limbs incapable of movement sometimes after she was turned back to normal. Many things too that would only be an issue in her mutant form became a constant problem like her need to hibernate once it became too cold.

There had been nothing Plagg could do to fix the extensive nerve damage – to fix anything she suffered.

Two days before Marinette was to depart, he admitted that he was jealous of her. If he’d been the one to become Primal, Tikki would’ve been more capable of healing him. Destruction and misfortune were not healing powers, and were therefore limited, even when it came to his partner. Sure, he was capable of recovering from death to save her, but he was meant to be the injured one in their relationship. He tried after he reached inside the form Tikki’s fortune had taken, but he could not take away enough on limited power. Her body had been healed to the best of Master Fu’s abilities before Plagg could try again, and all he could do at this point was aid her and keep her comfortable.

Leaning back in her seat, Marinette's eyes drifted out the window while her shoulders jostled as the bus bounced again. She should try getting some sleep, but it just wasn’t coming to her. Her mind was whirling and she wondered again if she would be able to do this.

Wringing her fingers, she didn’t take in the awe of her skin being soft, pale peach or her trimmed nails; looking human in public just didn’t faze her anymore. It shouldn’t only be her right now; she shouldn’t have to be making a battle plan for her return to Paris, or what she should do upon seeing her friend morphed into a monster, or what she would do once she saw Hawkmoth. In another world, they would’ve met Plagg and Tikki together just to meet mutants like them and learn how to use their powers.

But this wasn’t another world…

People were going to die.

Marinette had to remember her home was fated for the coming destruction and people were going to die… all because of one man wanting something from them.

No, that wasn’t true really; he didn’t want Adrien, but he wanted her.

Hawkmoth wanted her for good fortune, like he wanted Tikki’s. On multiple occasions, he had drained her own while she had been in the facility, but he could only do so much before Adrien risked going Primal then. She didn’t understand; what changed? What did he intend to do upon stealing her powers anyway?

Shifting, she inhaled and exhaled several times, calming herself down. She had to avoid winding herself up. If she did not reign in control of her emotions or instincts, it would interfere with her abilities. As long as she concentrated on what needed to be done, her powers would give her a solution and maybe even more depending on how much fortune Adrien ended up releasing. It would be a significant amount if his powers would create that cat beast around him. In that form, the others would have to try reaching out to him vocally, and only she was safe to try touching him directly.

The plan hadn’t changed then.

Nino and Alya would attempt to distract him and then she needed to reach inside and disconnect him from the body.

The real issue was if Hawkmoth appeared. He had his cane while she was unarmed. If he had any fighting capabilities, she didn’t know. Plagg taught her a little, and her Maman taught her some self-defense years ago, but she didn’t know if it would be enough to handle Hawkmoth if he was well-versed in combat himself.

“… I have to do this,” she murmured. “Come on, Marinette. Don’t overthink your approach and do it. You can do this, you can…”

Her seat suddenly rumbled and she blinked, noticing that the dark streets outside weren’t passing so frequently anymore. Head up, she saw several passengers who had also forgone sleep gazing towards the front in confusion while others roused from slumber. Red and blue lights flashed through the windows, silhouettes approaching the bus dressed in the typical navy blue police uniforms – some of them. Her eyes widened when she made out other men and women dressed in completely in black and a few were garbed in camouflage. Two passengers rose to their feet, but the driver waved at them, telling them to remain seated before he opened the door himself and stepping outside.

They were supposed to remain seated, but there was no hampering curiosity or fear. Marinette and the other passengers were trying to get a better look at the police car… no, a SWAT car? Both were present to help maintain a blockade. And this was only part as she turned her head and peered out her window, noting several other vehicles and patrolling individuals spaced out down the temporary metal barricade set up. She paled, hurrying to check the other side and see how far it ran. Not too far visibly speaking, but it was blocking road and foot traffic access beyond this point.

The other roads towards Paris were probably the same.

 

“No… no, no, no…”

 

She thought she left at the right time. Was he already there? Was she too late?

Her head snapped up when the driver’s heavy footfalls upon the stairs. His brows were furrowed in the center of his forehead and he rubbed the back of his head.

 

“Sorry folks, but due to an… unnatural weather phenomenon occurring in Paris, this is the end of the line. If you intend on continuing your journey at a later date, it may be a few days before it passes according to the officers. You’ll be escorted to a hotel to wait for the lockdown to end…”

 

… That wasn’t true. It was obvious, and she wasn’t the only one ready to ask more questions.

She knew they were covering him up, but if she spoke up – if they found out that she was aware of what was happening – they would never let her enter Paris. And she didn’t want to imagine what sort of story they would attempt to spin from her honesty either.

Well, no, she already had an idea what they would say.

They would suspect her of being a terrorist and say that she had somehow created and released Adrien to destroy the city. They would take her before the President and the rest of the government, and before she could explain anything, they would sentence her to life in prison. Or, no, they would take her to their laboratories, want her to try mutating someone else like Adrien, and then control them to fight for whatever operations they wanted done. They would pretend to establish a school for mutants like in Alya’s comic, but it would be an elaborate cover-up for their super soldiers. She was doomed!

 

“Hey! You there!”

 

Marinette jumped, smacking her hands to her cheeks, “Y-Yes!? What?”

There was a soldier standing at the front of the bus with a cocked eyebrow and she felt her face heat beneath her hands. “I-I’m sorry. You said something?”

 

“I said grab your belongings so we can take you to the hotel nearby.”

 

“… Right.”

 

Sighing, she _really_ needed to stay out of her head at a time like this.

Grabbing her duffel bag, she made haste down the center aisle and stepped past the soldier to join the other bus riders waiting. If they were grumpy after she made them wait, they didn’t show it. Instead, it seemed as though many of them were trying to see far beyond the blockade which was physically impossible even for a mutant like herself. They had to be over 30 km out of the city; not even an owl mutant would see that far. Of course, seeing didn’t matter so much as getting there; that could be done, but she needed to slip away from their escort and the other patrons first.

Marinette didn’t fuss going along with the group towards the hotel. In fact, it was better this way. She would be accounted for until she received her room and whatever happened when they realized she had disappeared wouldn’t be her problem at that point. By luck, she didn’t have to room with anyone either. Closing the door, she locked it and turned the light off, pretending that she would try sleeping tonight.

Would sleep really be possible at this point for anyone who had been on the bus?

Standing beside the room’s twin bed, her antennae rose from her head, curling forward from her hair to stand high while her face took on a now familiar red hue around her eyes. With a twitch, she picked up on the television adjacent to her room playing the news. As she flexed her chitin-coated fingers, she heard nothing substantial from the other room, but more discussions on the abnormal accumulation of pyrocumulonimbus. The media must have ended up blacked out on the entire affair, but she did recall thunderclouds and lightning in the vision Trixx had given her weeks ago.

What was the point of this intensity? Maybe Hawkmoth also intended on destroying Paris, too?

Peeling off the translucent vinyl cover on her wings, she pocketed it, checking to see again if she had everything. It looked right, but she clicked her tongue against a fang and removed her shoes, slipping them away into her duffel with a sigh, “Much better.”

This part would be simple enough: fly over the blockade and get to Paris. No pressure; it wasn’t like she had to fly the entire way there, but short spurts would cut down time. Even though she could make it all the way go, she needed to save some energy. And if she got cau – no, she was not about to go down that path again.

Shouldering her bag, Marinette stole a swift glance back at her door whilst tiptoeing her way over to the single window. Lucky for her, no one was outside keeping watch for anyone attempting to sneak out. Whether that was a flaw or her ability at work again, she wasn’t going to waste time questioning it.

Turning around, she hoisted herself out backwards and felt her shell open. The second her wing cells stretched out was just one second before they began to buzz, generating a light breeze against her back as they hummed to catch her weight and air. She pushed back from the window and briefly dipped with the unfamiliar weight of her own bag. Steadying her flight, she rose back up to level herself with the windowsill. Closing it, this would be a perfect momentarily distracting mystery of one disappearing bus rider.

 

“I know you guys are just doing your job, but I have somewhere to be. Forgive me for this later…!”

 

No doubt they would take attendance in the morning and put out an alert for one missing persons, and hopefully by then, she would have everything taken care of in order to explain herself.

Marinette drifted away from the window before rising into the sky away from the hotel. Higher and higher, out of the reach of streetlights and out of sight of those at the blockade so long as they didn’t look up.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t long before she realized she had to scrap her original ‘short spurts of flight’ plan.

More blockades kept popping up down the route she took. She turned her head to check for alternatives only to push herself farther upon spotting other blockades and even some military tanks. The closer she drew to the city did she begin seeing less plain suit guards and more personnel with actual firearms.

Marinette shuddered, wondering if she would have to factor in what the military might do if – when, not if – she was able to return Adrien to normal. Suddenly, the concern about being captured wasn’t the worst thing on her mind. Shaking her head, she flew faster, ignoring what may happen to again focus on what needed to happen.

Blinking, she noticed the temperature around her began to rise and her eyes widened. The bizarre haze she had flow into wasn’t such an erroneous report to make anymore. They called it pyrocumulonimbus due to how it formed. Above wildfires and volcanoes, or above cities destroyed in similar heated manners. Against the early morning twilight, the dense clouds were hued a burning scarlet and illuminated by the lightning streaking among the chaotic storm. She coughed and dipped through the tumultuous clouds for relief still trying to press on, but the ash continued assailing her eyes while the smoke left her with little air to breathe. The ozone around her was causing her hair to stand on end; she had to sink even further down to get out of the mess before she was struck down.

 

“... Oh my--!”

 

She recognized the buildings for the 14th arrondissement, but that wasn’t the problem. Stalling her flight above the district, her antennae stood high as her eyes scanning to the north beyond the Seine. How much was burning? How much was  _still_ burning? Smoke just seemed to continuously billow from smoldering ashes of the once beautiful Parisian streets and she could make out black fissures wildly reaching out like twisted roots, splitting the pavement and breaking all the way up to the Seine’s bank. A majority of the northeast arrondissements were gone, and she still heard gunfire and various shouts echoing from below until the thunder overhead roared again.

 

Where?

 

She followed the river, realizing how the fractures seemed to weave along the shore as the dark web continued to spin. The Notre-Dame, or where used to be the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Sainte Chapelle, Pont Neuf was gone, and she flinched as the Pont des Arts tumbled into the river. Behind where it stood, the Louvre had ignited… but her eyes moved down. The black threads were on her side of the river, reaching across the 7th and 14th blindly.

 

Looking…

 

“… He’s trying to find me,” she whispered and whipped her head towards the Eiffel Tower. It still managed to stand tall amongst the storms, but sooner or later, misfortune would be upon it. The illusion Marinette recalled again had her standing before the fallen tower as the hulking shadow that engulfed Adrien faced her. Narrowing her eyes, she clenched her hands tightly into fists.

“And if that’s where you need me, then okay. I’ll see you soon, Adrien.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... Did you guys know Ladybugs can fly up to 37 MPH (~60 KMH)? Isn't that crazy?
> 
> Anyway, back in Paris! Time for the showdown! Though, not entirely at once; we have some characters we need to catch up with - human companions mostly, but we'll be at the super super fun part soon enough! I'm going to try having this story finished before the month is over so that's four more chapters to finish where I would usually just have three and one more at the beginning of the week in June. Oh man, this part's almost over... I just made myself sad.
> 
> ... WELP! Let's move onto other things. I see no one really guessed the reference and the security code last chapter, but I'm totally gonna leave it open until someone does. First to get both still gets a picture so you can do it!
> 
> And in keeping this end note short this update, I'll have those drawings of Tikki, Wayzz, and Nooroo up later today on my tumblr. I ended up playing with some hairstyles for Wayzz after re-examining a suggested style before so yeah, need to draw him out again and I might thin Nooroo's glasses a bit. Nothing else to add without spoiling too much in the next chapters so for now, please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe. See you in the next chapter!
> 
> EDIT: Late late laaate, but as promised! [Tikki, Wayzz, and Nooroo!](http://artisticflutter.tumblr.com/post/160544957536/cocoon-drawing-update)


	12. Parting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day was here. This was real and no longer a discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

The first screams rose and fell into void’s gullet, black spider web threads situating themselves across buildings and streets, capturing both those inside and out. It devoured everything – cement, bricks, tiles, and cobblestone; skin, bones, and blood. The rumbling as several structures collapsed finally captured attention of those who stayed up the whole evening or awakened before the sun just in time to see the fires start. It was too late though to delay the rapidly weaving misfortune that further expanded unhindered and induced some structures to implode or explode before leaving little more than ash behind.

 

_ Plick, plick, squish… _

 

Copious chunks of indescribable viscous ooze dripped from the hulking form as it paused, more leaking from the center of its back. If it weren’t for the dripping, the continuous running liquid, or the smell of burning flesh, the monster would just be a shadow; a shadow with protruding fangs and claws, its eyes hidden somewhere beneath the pitch black muck covering its face. Its head sat level where the two-story residence once stood, its massive ears rotating this way and that. A great huff escaped its maw following a series of quick inhales and exhales as it sniffed and snorted, and a thunderous rumble soon rolled from its chest.

 

Nothing.

 

No good.

 

It lumbered back onto four claws and resumed forward momentum through the crumbling arrondissement around it, shoulder blades protruding with each step taken. The blonde and black striped Mutant maintained her distance as she observed the miserably emaciated Primal lumber onward into Paris. Briefly, she turned her head away soon to search for the other. Sensitive to various aromas as she was, even the worrisome stench the monster gave off did not cover up those of the butterfly or moth. She smelled them, her antennae standing from her temples – their wings, their emotions, the balance between one’s direct guidance and the other’s insatiable hunger. She recognized them both well enough despite their own attempts to hide beneath the carnage.

Taking one visual scan herself, she darted away, her humming wings silent in comparison to a small townhouse collapsing behind her and then some.

 

This was no good.

 

She didn’t think it was anticipated for his destruction to move so quickly, but it was. The 19 th arrondissement would be lost well within the next hour with the 20 th following. Paris was awakened, but thousands of lives were already consumed.

The humans had to run now; only so much time could be spared.

“Master Fu!”

Claws hooking onto the windowsill, she snapped her wings shut and swiftly entered the parlor, tumbling as her feet shifted back to flat pale soles and five toes upon each foot. Master Fu was present with Wayzz at his side, the younger mutant’s skin already taking on a soft lime hue with scales dotting his nose.

“He’s arrived before Marinette has returned,” the old man hummed, stroking his beard while he contemplated. “Pollen?”

“… The 19 th arrondissement can’t be recovered at this point. Not by any of our abilities anyway,” the blonde female, Pollen, replied as her blinking eyes shifted from compound to deep blue irises. “He’s heading towards the 20 th , but he’ll reach the 21 st soon enough… We all know who he’s looking for and what will happen when they discover she’s not anywhere.”

Wayzz crossed his arms and all three of them glanced towards the window as sirens began to wail. Though the younger two tensed, the eldest remained calm even as the cacophony grew from screams and sirens to whirred engines and chopper blades. Master Fu sighed, “Trixx will have her work cut out for her trying to minimize how much is broadcast. Wayzz, go protect as many as you can, but also seek out Alya and Nino. Pollen, you are to do the same, but continue monitoring Adrien, Nooroo, and Hawkmoth. Get away once Marinette arrives.”

Cocking her head, Pollen’s antennae fell as she considered what he meant and shortly frowned. “But Master… Hawkmoth--”

“It will be fine, Pollen. There are other matters that will need to be handled though…” Rising to his feet with a wooden cane in his grasp, he turned towards the door. “We all have places to be. Go you two. We will meet at the tower.”

Exchanging rather apprehensive looks between them, Pollen and Wayzz nonetheless bowed and dismissed themselves without another word. The bee took off the direction she whence came while Wayzz followed shortly, leaping towards the rooftops standing across the street of the parlor, leaving Master Fu to his own. He left the room quietly and descended down the steps to the front door. Once outside, he faced the stream of humans who fled from danger and walked, ignored and avoided by those who ran.

“Some old souls never change no matter the time they return,” he mumbled beneath his breath, steady on his feet even as the ground shook again. No black webbing had come this way yet; however, it was only a matter of time, and everyone needed to be there. Their support and protection; he would see soon if it would be enough.

 

* * *

 

There was only so much that Alya and her mother could gather before they had to leave, but they grabbed the essentials before picking up her somewhat dazed siblings. The twins in her mother’s hold, Alya ran with her brother just as the first black fractal marks appeared, spreading spider web cracks over their balcony window. Her father had gone ahead after contacting several co-workers in regards the zoo animals and planning to meet with several in an effort to get them to safety as well, but would that matter?

Holding her brother close, Alya kept pace with her mom and the twins, but looked back over her shoulder. This was it of course, wasn’t it? The day Master Fu, Marinette, and Wayzz had been talking about. The day they said someone named Duusu had predicted? They made plans over the past few weeks while Marinette was away, but it really had only boiled down to herself and Nino distracting Adrien so Marinette could reach him because nothing but her balancing force could touch him.

She didn’t like the looks of the dark fractures that were reaching after them.

Eyes widening, she watched them consume her home and reduce it to rubble.

Okay, now she  _ really _ didn’t like them.

“Alya! Hurry!”

Though her eyes met with her mother’s, Alya still had to look back one more time at their fallen home. Feet pounding pavement, they slowed at the next intersection congested by heavy traffic. It was just like every apocalypse movie ever; horribly cliché but there really was no easy way to combat panic once it began—

 

_ “Please remain calm and exit your vehicles to continue on foot! Emergency services and military personnel require all roads to be clear!” _

 

“That’s not good. I’ll have to inform your father of the update,” her mother muttered, but Alya’s jaw was slack. It sounded to her like Mayor Bourgeois was actually doing something for once. In fact, looking up, she could see him standing on Le Grand Paris flanked by several bodyguards and holding a megaphone, trying to direct people out of the city and away from the spreading darkness in the nearby arrondissement. Squad cars were parked and barricades arranged to stop traffic from flowing. Huh, she would give him credit for trying to get services in to stall Adrien and buy time for people to get out.

 

But that wasn’t going to be enough.

 

Looking at her mother on the phone and then to her siblings rubbing their eyes, she chewed the inside of her lip. Alya wanted to stay with them and make sure they got outside of the city until it was clear, but she didn’t know how long they had. If she didn’t go now – if she went later – it might be too late. Or, she might have the time, but she couldn’t know.

She didn’t know, but waiting would be a guarantee. She didn’t doubt that.

 

“… M-Mom.”

 

Alya didn’t expect her voice to break, but there was a rush of a thought. She could say it was very Marinette of her, but it wasn’t wrong. If this didn’t work out, this could very well be the last time she saw her family. And though she had gotten her mother’s attention, Alya wavered. Not that dying hadn’t always been a possibility when she agreed to Master Fu’s plan with Nino, but she had never felt the gravity until that second, her growing gaze just focused on her mom and her sisters, and her brother squirmed in her arms. This might be the last time… this would be her only chance to say goodbye.

Same thought: if she didn’t try then they would all die regardless.

Inhaling, she blinked to combat her drying eyes, and exhaled. “Mom, I need to go.”

“… Go? Go where?”

She expected the confusion, but Alya stepped forward to hand her brother over and move away. “There’s something I need to do; something that could stop this. Take Sam, Ella, and Etta, find Dad, and I’ll be back later.”

 

Would she be back later?

 

Her mom was caught off-guard just long enough for her to break away before her resolve could be weakened. That didn’t mean she missed her mom yelling for her, but Alya pushed herself to run faster, ignoring her cellphone ringing furiously in her coat pocket. Later, later, later was what she repeated to herself. Later she would apologize for leaving without a real explanation, but she had to go. Taking out her cellphone to ignore another call from her mom, she brought up Nino’s number and hit call.

She could’ve sworn that she heard his ringtone nearby.

“Alya!”

Snapping her head up and to the left, Nino was there, but he wasn’t alone. Another take and she recognized his company; first, Wayzz, but then… Chloé?

“Wait, what is she doing here?” was the first question out before she could stop it and she felt herself scowl.

Nino clicked his tongue. “Well, about that…”

“That thing is Adrien, right?” Chloé cut in, a leer fixated back on Alya. Wayzz stood aside with crossed arms, grumbling something along the line of ‘I already said it was’, but he didn’t speak louder to stop them.

Arms folding over her chest, Alya didn’t break the stare. “If I said yes, why do you care? Isn’t he just a ‘monster’ to you?” She was pleased to see Chloé flinch a little. Not that she had to hold back on just saying it was her fault Adrien was captured, but even Alya knew it wasn’t  _ entirely _ her fault. Hawkmoth had been planning on taking Adrien and Marinette eventually. He was just an opportunistic villain.

“Look, I get it. I chased Adrien off, but don’t pretend you’re a saint, Césaire. Like you didn’t freak out upon that friend of yours turned into a Mutant.”

Though she couldn’t deny freaking out to some degree, Alya attempted her best poker face while raising an eyebrow at Chloé’s accusation just to make the other girl move on. She didn’t know if it worked or not as all the blonde did was flip her ponytail.

“Anyway, I heard these two talking about saving Adrien while hiding out in the hotel. I told them I wanted to help.”

“She demanded that we let her help,” Nino translated, shrinking when Chloé’s glare turned on him. “Master Fu did say bringing people Adrien knows would help.”

“He did, but should we really be bringing her into this now?” Alya hissed, “Everything’s getting… real.”

Opening his mouth to reply, Chloé put her foot down, effectively cutting off Nino again. “I don’t care what things are becoming. We might not be friends, Césaire, but Adrien is!” Fingers clenching her arms and her chin tucked to her chest, the blonde girl’s face flushed brightly. “He’s  _ my _ childhood friend, but I screamed at him, and caused him to get kidnapped. I… I need to do this, but if you tell anyone that I said that…!”

“… Said what?” Alya feigned, turning away. Sensing that the blonde was bristling, Alya looked back at her from the corner of her eyes. “That  _ the _ Chloé Bourgeois showed some humility? No one in school would believe me even if I told them. So, I guess we should get going and actually, you know, save Adrien and everything.”

Shifting her attention to Wayzz, the other two followed suit. He gave it a second to make sure they wouldn’t resume their argument and nodded once he was certain. Raising a hand, they said nothing (though, Chloé squirmed slightly) as a shimmering jade disc appeared behind his back and wrapped around them all, forming a bubble. “Remain close to me. We can’t stop him until Marinette arrives, but we can head him off at the Eiffel Tower.”

“Oh man, oh man…” Nino repeated under his breath. Alya knew the feeling all too well, but here they were, walking anyway while the arrondissement continued to fall around them. They couldn’t move too quickly, but they couldn’t linger for long either. If the military caught them, the three of them would be moved outside of the city and who could say what they would do to Wayzz, but every time those bubbling cracks reached Wayzz’s shield, it began to warp and threatened to pop. They had to be patient, and wait until the Mutant said they could go, rushing across the streets and slipping through alleyways when convenient, obscuring themselves from the helicopters overhead.

 

* * *

 

The 7 th arrondissement, while more open, was fortunately sparse with all forces hoping to keep Adrien contained on the other side. Alya didn’t understand why Wayzz said they needed to come here when the fight was behind them, but as they hurried to Champ de Mars, she saw them. Master Fu was there along with Tom, Sabine, Gabriel, and one other woman she did not recognize dressed in deep blue. Wayzz released his barrier so they could join the adults; meanwhile, he looked over his shoulder to make sure they hadn’t actually been followed.

“They will be here soon,” Master Fu said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Pollen informs me that Nooroo is controlling many of Adrien’s actions so we will have to wait until he’s removed to stop this.”

“Master, you aren’t suggesting…?” Wayzz ventured only to be startled by a claw before his face. Alya was positive she hadn’t blinked, but when did this woman with fox ears arrive? And why did she have fox ears?

No matter; her angled violet-rose eyes were locked on Wayzz and her expression was a twisted sneer, “You leave the butterfly and kitten to Marinette and me. Just keep your scaly ears out for Pollen and that moth. Something about this is weird and I don’t like it.”

“Yes… something about this is… very peculiar,” the blue female exhaled, raising a gloved hand to press it against her covered temple. Alya noted Gabriel glancing at the woman, but she didn’t seem to notice, raising her head skyward instead. “... She’s here. Master Fu.”

“It is already taken care of,” he chimed, “If everyone will, we must take shelter beneath the trees. We cannot distract Marinette with our presence at this time.”

Thunder roared overhead and again, heads turned up. Alya hadn’t realized a storm had formed, but she didn’t stare long. When a gentle hand touched her back, she saw Sabine had come to stand beside her with Tom at her heels. The two of them were making sure that Alya, Chloé, and Nino didn’t remain standing in the open while Gabriel and the woman followed close behind.

No sooner had they hidden did Alya see a scarlet form against the blood red clouds flashing overhead.

She held her breath as Marinette landed before the tower and stilled. She didn’t look around, she didn’t retract her wings; instead, she just stood there with her fingers clenched tightly and her jaw set. Alya’s brow creased, and she wondered if anyone else noticed just how red Marinette’s skin looked as she held her position. Only briefly did Marinette’s eyes dart away to acknowledge the fox woman joining her, but both soon had their attention focused on the length of buildings nearby becoming consumed by black. They buckled, giving in and collapsing, tossing a heavy plume of smoke that billowed into the sky causing the sky to yet again growl.

Or, was that the sky?

As the smoke began to fade, Alya knew she couldn’t possibly be the only one whose eyes widened.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I looked it up and Alya has one more unrevealed sibling whom I'm just assuming is a younger brother since she's always doing the babysitting and, I don't know, I thought it would be cute if she had at least one brother. However, I could be wrong and they could be an older sibling who's long since moved out. Also, continuing with the theme her family has of all Jazz musician names, her brother's name is Sam after Sammy Davis, Jr.
> 
> Also, surprise, surprise! Pollen has made her appearance using her bee ability to scent track from a distance. There are other things that can be said about her abilities, but I'll hold off on that until later. 
> 
> Right now, the time has come. The confrontation is here! The showdown is about to commence! Adrien and Marinette are about to be reunited in terrible ways and Trixx is about to confront Nooroo to free him from Hawkmoth. Until that's done, getting too close would be unwise. But oh ho, everyone's here to help and there are still three chapters left. What oh what is going to happen? Hee, just know it's going to be awesome and fun and I expect the next chapter to be long and wonderful! Same with the following and I'll make a more substantial conclusion for this part.
> 
> Now, before I end my notes to work on drawings today, time to answer finally end the guessing game. Of course, the Princess Mononoke reference I made in the notes in Chapter 10 was super easy, but gosh, a lot of you were so close on the code. September 1st, 2015 was the first airing of Miraculous... in South Korea. However, October 19th, 2015 is stated to be the first air date of Miraculous in France. I really wanted to give more hints because again, so close, but I didn't want to give away the answer to other people guessing either! Next time! Because there will be chances to play again in the future! 
> 
> As always, please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe. See you in the next chapter!


	13. Witnessed by Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Marinette, it's just like her nightmare. For Trixx, it's the realization of Duusu's vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

This was it.

This was her dream.

No… that wasn’t correct.

This was her nightmare.

If she were to roughly estimate his height right now by eye alone, she would say the bleeding cat before her stood level to her room in the bakery, his liquid leather-like skin dripping over the skeletal wireframe that somehow alone made up his Primal form. She could make out the jutting bulk of shoulder blades, joints, his feline skull, and the knuckles in his paws, but there was no sinew or muscle… or even organs, she was sure. But it made sense, didn’t it? For a Mutant of Destruction and Misfortune, their Primal state would be a creature that appeared to be some undead creature. The thick miasma of misfortune bubbled and flowed like tar from his back, the very spot it had all been concentrated before when he had looked human. Smoke rose along his spine and to the very tip of his tail, and it released a putrid stench she had begun to become all too familiar with – a fresh, burning corpse.

Marinette’s stomach churned.

“Adrien…”

His eyes were covered; whether actually blinded by his Primal coating, or something carried over before his transformation, she didn’t know, but there was a great huff as he inhaled and exhaled, the jagged fangs along his jaw opening and closing as he piteously, hauntingly whined. The black fractures that had been spreading halted their progress; Marinette took that as a good sign. He had to recognize her – he had to, and he was stopping his misguided assault. She could have smiled at that moment.

“… Don’t let your guard down,” she heard Trixx whisper beside her and Marinette raised a brow.

She didn’t understand.

He was visibly calming down, but taking another look, she noticed how his back began to bubble violently. His fangs and claws, once a dull slate gray, began to take on a toxic acid green glow and his body shook. Claws curling, he began to toss his head like he was trying to get something off – or out.

“There he is.”

Trixx’s fur bristled and Marinette followed the woman’s gaze towards the shadows of the Eiffel Tower. Somehow, she missed them before, but there in the shadows was another. Huge lavender eyes almost filled their entire head and long, silk thin antennae stood tall from their head, the tips curling forward before their head. Their body with two extra limbs sprouting from their torso were of an eerily similar bony appearance to Adrien; however, something about them seemed more corrupted, incorrect in contrast with Marinette’s partner. Perhaps it had something to do with the way their blackened butterfly wings had cracks here and there showing purple trying to break through the bleakness consuming them similar to the swirl on their forehead.

“… Wait, Trixx, is that--?” Marinette began, trailing as Trixx’s ears pulled back.

“Yeah. It's Nooroo… He’s controlling Adrien,” she whispered, lips curled to reveal fangs. “But look, you don’t worry about him. Focus on your cat while I knock out the butterfly.”

Easier said than done, but Marinette just gnawed the inside of her cheek to keep herself from retorting. They couldn’t have this argument; they had a job to do. And looking over Adrien again with his warning glow becoming brighter, she was focused on his face. If she would clear his eyes, maybe that would help. If he could see for himself, he might be able to fight against Nooroo’s control and help Trixx capture the butterfly.

Three actions happened simultaneously once the invisible timer ran out.

Adrien’s claws pounded the stone planted between them, Nooroo took flight into the crossing limbs of the Eiffel Tower, and Trixx darted to scale the monument herself. Marinette bent her knees and faced down the blind cat monster coming at her and let her own wings open again. She had to focus on the beast coming at her in its straight line and leave the other mutants to deal with each other.

He pounced and she darted, humming wings overcast by the crash of lightning and thunder. Where his claws tore blackened just like the city around had; however, it didn’t spread. Swerving around him, she felt her skin flare and then cool, but she didn’t take time to really note how her scarlet skin darkened or how her chitin seemed to gain sheen before avoiding another sweep of Adrien’s claws. To him right now, she was little more than an annoying fly or gnat that a cat desperately wanted to swat and toy with before possibly killing. They could play, but she wasn’t about to be taken down from the sky; not without another plan should she fall.

Vermillion flashing in her peripheral, Trixx was springing on her curled paws and digging claws into the iron beams following her next spring, the ends of her claws missing Nooroo’s wings as he drifted higher and around to the second deck. Marinette watched, but turned to dive, passing Adrien’s head with haste. The buzzing drew his attention and his ears swiveled to follow her path. They had to get away from the tower before Nooroo decided to call for the destructive mutant’s aid.

Away then, she would force him to follow her away from the other two slithering through the crossing bars and still climbing further into the sky.

“Come on! You’re trying to catch me, right!?” she barked, her tone earning a displeased growl back. She drifted backwards, but he drew after her in a prowl, the front of his body lowering to the ground and his shoulders and hips more prominent in this approach. Moving further, she waited to see what he would do – whether he would continue the prowl until she lowered her guard, if he would pounce again, or if he would decide to charge.

Fortunately for her, he only remained stalking for so long. His long bony limbs were tossing oil flecks as he barreled forward into a charge, paws splitting cobblestone, but she forced him to turn as she flew beneath him and between his legs. She felt him in passing – the swirl of his dread, fury, and pain – and even physically felt a few drops land on her body. Righting herself and waiting for the cat beast to realize what happened and turn, she watched the black tar, eyes growing as the spots began to heat and ignited like coal. Burning to life and taking on a red hue similar to her own, they soon just disappeared, but again, her arm shined. Right, he was a mass of misfortune; and for all the misfortune he had taken, she would take on the fortune that was forcibly removed from others.

A quick glance over her shoulder, she gazed into the wake he left; or more accurately, she looked upon the ruins of the other arrondissements he had carved his path through while searching. If she flew through and gathered enough of the scattered fortune, maybe that would be enough to finally dispel all of his own ill-fortune encasing him and stop his Primal form. She could feel it seeping slowly into her body even now as she waited; and she finally understood.

Ever since she arrived, she was pulling it in.

Hawkmoth had done something similar to this before they escaped. It just didn’t hurt this time – or, it wasn’t hurting her.

Righted after a sloppy pivot, Adrien was facing her again. Jaws open, she could hear him draw in rattling breaths, the sounds faintly broken by one part heavy panting and another part broken growls.

He was being pushed to fight.

Thin… and tired.

Somewhere in that mess was a boy who long since needed to rest.

“You’ll be free soon…” she murmured, feeling another rush of heat wash over her. His long tail waved and he wound up, ready to charge again, but she would stand her ground this time, her hands clenched into fists. Knees bent, she breathed, focusing… she had to trust herself and she would be able to find the solution.

She could do this – could have done this were it not for the sudden arrival of another.

Arms up, she blocked the kick aimed down at her head and pushed her arms forward, throwing the new assailant back. Blinking, for a second she thought it was Trixx, but no, that was wrong. This girl’s hair was longer, her eyes were dull olive, and her body wasn’t a harmonious, natural blend of bestial grace Trixx had. While her ears stood around the same size, her fangs, her claws, and her pawed feet were long and misshapen, trapped somewhere between human and animal; and the way her wicked eyes seemed to turn a shade darker while looking at her, Marinette did not think this fox was acting on her own.

“Y-You… it’s because of you I’m like this,” the girl hissed as she rose and began to prowl towards Marinette, making her take several steps back. “It’s because of you I had to deal with that… _thing_ and that facility again…!”

“But I wasn’t…!”

Before Marinette could say anything more, the artificial (she had to be one. There was no other explanation for her half-mutated appearance) mutant shot at her, claws lashing out at her face and chest. The flurry of swings sent Marinette several steps back as she ducked and dodged, raising her arm to fend off the next claw, feeling it scrape against her shell, barely managing to chip it. Retaliating with her own swift kick, the other girl sprang back and allowed Marinette to take off into the sky in hasty retreat. However, waiting to meet her – or waiting to swat at her – was Adrien, and her body narrowly flitted around his claw as it came swinging in a downward arc towards her and her wings. Pulling back, she looked from Adrien to the other girl, and pressed her brows together.

Two against one now? She had expected this, but not really who her opponents might be.

Eyes hardening, it didn't matter. She had to try.

 

* * *

 

 While Marinette entertained actual combat on the ground, upon the Eiffel Tower was a dance between two, predator and prey. It was questionable as to who filled which role despite Nooroo’s constant defensive flitting through beams and Trixx’s forward motion circling after him upon all fours, her eyes gleaming magenta. For every attempt made to get closer, she would have to move again to avoid another who she could smell, but he was purposely making himself scarce. Yes, it wasn’t only her butterfly mingled among the metal, but a moth that was up here to elude her and the others on the ground. Did he know they were there waiting? Why was he up here with her and not below after Marinette?

With a flip, she dropped to the second level and landed on the railing, her padded toes hooking as she took the opportunity to see what was going on. Her illusions coiled around the tower in the meanwhile, forked tongues and dark scales catching the next flash of lightning, their realistic appearance enough to momentarily distract the two bugs. Seeing Adrien meant that Trixx and the others had to remain back, but her ears pulled flat against her head at the sight of another fox – another _female_ fox whose smell was off. Another like Marinette and Adrien; not only that, but she stunk like another detestable insect trying to fend her away from Nooroo.

That’s how it was, wasn’t it? The moth controlling the butterfly.

Ears stiff, her head snapped up to see the first snake illusion disperse, but it wasn’t Nooroo who had done that. No, he hadn’t been moving on his own for some time. The longer the fight went on, the more she spotted his wonderful wings drooping lower while his antennae remained high and curled over his forehead. When the pending storm wasn’t covering it either, she could hear him panting. He could stop; anytime, he could release his captive, but he wasn’t being allowed to.

“You’ve been hiding long enough!” Trixx snarled, a growl rattling deep from her throat. “Lemme lighten that load off your back by tearing your wings off, Hawkmoth!”

Ears quivering, she caught sight of dark orchid briefly and shot towards it, claws hooking upon the bare I-beam where she swung herself around to crouch upon it and turn. Even though she was secure in her position, the whole tower seemed to sway at the next attack from below, another fissure splitting the ground beside one of the legs. Adrien’s massive claws withdrew, and Trixx saw Marinette taking an aerial dive at the artificial fox, tackling her all the way back into the other leg parallel to the one nearly damaged by the cat mutant turning to again engage.

Nose wrinkling, Trixx forced her eyes upwards once again and resumed her skulking. Direct wasn’t working as much as she would’ve liked, not with Hawkmoth controlling many of Nooroo’s actions. She still had to stop him.

She hadn’t done this in a while, but it was the only way – the only solution she could think of in this moment.

Her eyes flickered and thinned, her tail trembled and ears waved.

Through the shadows, she went from being one-to-two, two-to-four, mind divided between the clones, but similar goal present.

Trixx allowed her carbon copy kits to take over the butterfly and moth chase while she made plans. Duusu had always told her the Eiffel Tower was to collapse in her mind, and she was beginning to see why it would become necessary. She slid down the leg she last saw Marinette and the second fox disappear beneath, making a point to ignore the troubling growls from Adrien as she drew closer and ducking his jaws as he lunged out to get her.

If they were to stop all of them, this would have to be done. Here and now, this beautiful city would have to forgive her for what now must be done.

 

* * *

 

 Marinette didn’t understand why this girl wasn’t stopping and her powers hadn’t provided her with anything to combat her with either. It would be nice to have a rope by now, or something that would make her stop because she didn’t have time for this. If only fighting the artificial fox was the only thing to worry about, but she had to make an active effort to make sure this strange girl didn’t get touched by any destructive ooze. Enough people had died and even if this girl had it out for her, that didn’t mean she deserved to die; not when she obviously appeared to be under control as well.

“Ugh!”

Clutching her stomach, Marinette wanted to double over as the girl withdrew her knee. She raised both claws up and knotted her fingers together, ready to bring her fists hammering down on Marinette’s back, but before she could, Marinette reached up, hooking her free arm around the fox to throw her aside just in time for Adrien’s paw to catch her instead. Somehow, landing on her side only drew a gasp from her lips, but the cat beast released a roar and doubled over. Watching with squinting eyes, Marinette couldn’t stop Adrien from slamming his head against the ground or ripping at his skull. By instinct, he had to be aware of who he chased and whom he just hit instead of his intended target.

It was sadly a familiar scene to watch him tear at himself, splattering more streaks of black that withered foliage, rusted wrought iron legs, and chewed through the few buildings it reached. The other girl managed to dodge, but she fell to a knee and struggled to rise again.

Was this how it was going to end instead? All three of them struggling to fight until they exhausted themselves? Why didn’t she have an answer to avoid that?

Marinette’s arms shook from the effort to push her body up again, and she managed to get to her hands and knees before the next sound shook her. It was a roar, a cry… no, a howl made her head snap up. The claws, once digging into his hand, were visibly reaching into his chest. One had begun to rip, but the other had torn in revealing the hollow cavity that was made up by his ribs. But that wasn’t what alarmed her; it was the red trickling over two dimmed green claws and the wax gray flesh they had managed to piece inside.

She felt her chords vibrating as she screamed, but she didn’t audibly hear herself.

Scrambling to her feet, he seemed to move in slow motion, drawing his claw away from his body and allowing the misfortune again to enshroud him, but she had seen plenty. The girl, who she could see in her direct line of vision ready to attack her again, was abruptly tackled from view, leaving Marinette with only Adrien in sight. Adrien, who had become frozen and sat with still bloodied claw hovering before his blinded face. She hoped, prayed that his wound had only been a trifling and that he had merely startled himself and not… managed worse. Like Plagg, he might be able to come back from grave wounds, but what about mortal wounds inflicted upon his own person by his own hands?

“Please be okay…” she whispered, legs trembling and threatening to fold inward.

She was so close that another leap might put her at his side, but again, she was pulled back. Trixx held her wrist in a claw while her other arm supported the younger fox girl slung over her shoulder, unconscious.

“Don’t take his stillness as a sign to approach. If anything, his mind has surrendered and Nooroo’s in complete control.” The moment those words left Trixx, both her and Marinette watched as Adrien began moving again, but where his motions before had been slower and his turning delayed, he came about to face them with more haste. Marinette’s heart sunk; this was definitely not the same Primal mutant she had been running towards seconds before.

Though his movements were faster and more precise, he had yet to attack. And from the corner of her eye, Marinette briefly saw Trixx look up and then back down, her triangular ears leaning forward.

“Marinette, if we’re going to stop them, you… you need to make Adrien bring down the tower.”

“… What?” Her eyes bugged out and she stared at Trixx, hoping that she might be joking out of her own nerves. Unfortunately, Trixx’s eyes remained firm and her mouth thin.

“Nooroo and Hawkmoth are hiding in the tower. If Adrien brings it down, I can try catching them in the collapse.” Her eyes flickered, but Marinette already knew why. “It… it should be enough before everything turns into ash. And if you have Adrien in the right spot, it’ll pin him down too.”

“But Nooroo…”

Trixx shook her head, “It has to be done.”

Releasing Marinette’s wrist, the fox woman raised a hand to the choker around her neck and touched the butterfly clasp that adorned it. “I’ll take this girl to safety… you can do this, Marinette.”

Marinette wasn’t able to speak before the fox fled, eyes remaining fixed upon air. This couldn’t be the answer. Tikki said her powers would give her a solution, but why not at this time?

Something, anything…

But the rumbling snarl accompanied by thunder made her have to face the reality of the situation again; of the blind monster lost to the control of another or maybe two. Her vision was filled with gleaming red and black dots patterning the groaning iron.

Just like those times before.

She didn’t want this, but his body rolled; she didn’t want to do this, but his claws and teeth were again glowing a warning radiation green; she didn’t want to fly at him and make him chase her beneath the four-legged tower to swing deliberately at her, but he did his best.

Its screech was deafening as he ripped through the support beams of one leg, and he was quick the leap at her, fangs and claws slashing into a second. Just like Trixx said, the black fissures did not break the iron down so quickly, but soon left to stand on a single solid leg, the monument proceeded to tumble with the most horrid, echoing wail. The shadow it cast as the sky illuminated its descent was harrowing to all that could witness it from below, but Marinette was shaking.

Looping around Adrien, he had pursued until the first level of the Eiffel Tower slam onto his shoulders and the rest caught his hind legs. Debris and stone and dirt would’ve filled her eyes and lungs had she not flown opposite of the way it spilled towards the Trocadéro. He disappeared, and watching the spire come down, she swore she saw three Trixxes darting inside just to vanish with the rest of it rumbling to the ground.

Smoke exploded into the sky, but it didn’t smell of rot anymore. It was thick and clotted with fresh dirt and rusted iron.

Everything besides the smoke seemed still from the air to the storm; even Marinette though she touched back down before the fallen monument of Love and Light itself. Her wings ceased their buzz and retreated beneath their shell to leave her completely motionless, and gazing at emptiness that had once been magnificent.

One drip… two, ten, too many to count…

Her hair plastered thick against her head by the pouring rain weighing it down. It soaked into her clothes and skin, but Marinette didn’t try to shelter herself. Instead, she focused on the water dissipating the smoke to leave behind the rough ashen rubble and the extinguished black form buried beneath it, jaws and paws slack. The viscous material still drooled from his back, but more like blood sluggishly draining from a healing wound. Two times she had been stopped from approaching him when it seemed safe, but this time, she took her steps without hesitance.

His body didn’t properly expand beneath the beams that had yet crumbled, but she could hear his rapid breaths with each step closer. The large cat remained dreadfully prone even as the distance between them reduced from a few meters to centimeters and soon, to just within arm’s reach. There was a huff, just like before, as he inhaled and exhaled and she guessed he had to be sniffing again.

Right before a piteous whine.

Her eyes watering, she reached out for his skull with both hands and laid herself upon his great maw. Well, her nightmare got one thing wrong; there was no way she was wrapping her arms around his body like this. Still, she did her best to be gentle as she let her hand glide over his muzzle and pressed her face against his head.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry,” she spoke calmly, trying to keep her voice level, but it was difficult. This close to him, she could feel his pain mingle with hers settled like a cold knot deep within her heart, so much that each subsequent beat ached. Her hands didn’t stop petting, moving along his cheek and over his brow. “I wanted to save you sooner… I-I wanted to avoid this.”

Underneath her palms, she felt him stir and shift slightly, but he didn’t try to escape his predicament otherwise. He needed this; needed to rest, and he could take his time. Whatever delayed the military and other personnel from attacking during their fight, maybe it would keep them at bay longer.

A soft, crooning-like groan reached her ears next and she hummed in reply, letting her fingers continue to delicately stroke his face. Around his cheeks and brow, it was like how she traced his mask for the first time before prying it from his eyes and letting him see again for the first time in weeks. She watched as her hands circled, and marveled at how the fortune once blinding him began to part around where the skeletal cat’s eye socket should be. It felt warm and somehow, much more comforting than the rain pouring down upon them.

Blinking, she soon smiled. “Your eyes… It’s been too long since I’ve seen them.”

Gorgeous, radiant emerald irises and narrow-but-expanding pupils focused on her and she eyed him back, hands still as she decided to rest there.

She felt so cold, and he was just so warm.

She missed this.

But Adrien was suddenly writhing so much beneath her and she couldn’t fathom why. They were going to be able to rest together soon, just like before. Honestly, it felt like she could sleep forever; she never felt this tired.

Eyes growing heavy, she noticed her arm and was confused at how much gloss her shell had lost there. It looked pale, border-lining even white with how gray it had become, and she didn’t get it. Adrien’s struggling was becoming worse and Marinette opened her mouth to soothe him… but she couldn’t hear herself speak. She didn’t even think her mouth moved this time to try uttering a single word.

The warmth of his body faded from her chest and stomach, and Marinette found herself suddenly light. Not that she was upon her feet or flying, but someone had picked her up.

No, wait, no one had picked her up.

Her eyes falling down, she made out something jutting out of her chest. Thin and coal gray, it reminded her of a cane. It alone and nothing else raised her higher from the Primal scrambling to break free and mutely screaming before her. His fangs, his claws, and his eyes, they were all alight as she rose above him, her body and the cane dipping forward.

 

“You’ve served your purpose well, Ladybug…”

 

She barely managed to hear Hawkmoth’s words. Even though he was right next to his ear and whispering into her ear, he sounded so far away.

 

“For your sacrifice, I’ll at least grant you and your partner the decency of dying with each other.”

 

She didn’t understand.

 

“Chat Noir, open…”

 

Jostled and shaken, the air rushed around her, but Marinette remained limp, falling faster without her wings responding. Black spotted her vision, but she could’ve sworn she saw more green before it was only darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, my bad. Now that I think about it, that chapter I merged a while ago which resulted in this part losing a chapter, looks like I'm going to be needing it for the next chapter. So, three more chapters! And this part will be ending in mid-June. Then, my next writing break will extend for the month of July so, sorry! I thought I had this all planned out, but this ending is much more than two small chapters will hold (I say small when this chapter is almost 4.5k words). Is everyone fine with this? Haha, who am I kidding? You probably all wanna kick me right now.
> 
> But goooosh, I'm just so excited for these next chapters! You don't know how long I've been waiting to write this part of Cocoon. If you guys want a rough idea of Adrien, he's just as described, but his size continues increasing in a similar way to Stoneheart as he steadily absorbs more misfortune. With the size increase, his maneuverability is lowered which is why he normally turns slowly, but his destruction can spread ahead of him.
> 
> Now, you're wondering where everyone else is who gathered to try helping... they're in the next chapter which I've already started typing up, but I need to do some commissions before the day is over. So, no more spoilers beyond that! Please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe. See you in the next chapter!


	14. Mis:Fortune

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good luck and bad luck... Fairly interchangeable and still luck in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

Complete and utter silence fell among them when the rain finally cleared the smoke. Despite Adrien’s throes and scrambling to get up, more eyes were focused on Marinette being lifted from her feet, her limp body unnaturally pale given her mutated state. Though, did her paleness come from blood loss? From the cane impaling her chest and possibly piercing a lung or part of her heart? Or was it because of the scarlet hue leaving her and instead wrapping around the man cruelly hoisting her into the air by previously mentioned cane alone? His mask, his wings, his suit, every part of him drew the power flowing from Marinette much like her blood dripping from her chest, and she did nothing.

Not even as the cane was roughly shaken and her body loosened.

Her wings were open, but the cells and her shell only did so because they refused to remain shut. They were too damaged to support her anymore anyway as she tumbled from the cane and down, into the waiting jaws of the Primal monster. His fangs snapped closed and the light in his eyes – and literally, everywhere else his body glowed – steadily faded to gray. Just like his motionless partner, he remained on his paws without a single twitch. No bubbles boiled on his back and no more ooze spilled forth.

His head soon bowed, and his body collapsed against the ground without breath. The darkness previously seeping from him dripped from his feline bones to pool beneath the stilled slate body. The only one who managed to move was Hawkmoth. He took his cane within his hand and drew it down, wiping away the blood and waving his hand to clear away any moist residue that attempted to cling. The red aura around his shoulders flared and his cane clicked once against the ground.

No one knew who moved first, or who yelled first from their collective.

Maybe both happened within the same span, perhaps one after the other, or maybe it was one person acting alone.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter because there was a mutual outcry from Alya, Chloé, and Nino. Tom and Sabine were stunned into muted horror beside Gabriel who didn’t even seem to be breathing after Adrien fell. Master Fu was the only one to remain idle, and even his short hair was stirred as Duusu and Wayzz shot past him. The first step they were together, but great azure wings unfurled from around Duusu. She soared directly at Hawkmoth who managed to avoid her heel – talons - cutting across his chest. Raising his cane to strike, she spun and her fanned tails tightly pressed together knocking back both his cane and body.

“I see you have more fight in you this time,” he said, steadied on his feet and straightening his suit now that there was space between himself and the peacock. Her tail feathers were fanned and shaking warningly, eyes alight upon the tips and her face beneath the still-drawn hood. Wayzz stopped beside her, a fist outward and prepared to strike, and his knees bent. He seemed unfazed – or more, he appeared to be welcoming them, the red aura turning his wings magenta with multiple black eye spots.

“Fortune’s no longer on your side, Duusu. The future is not in your favor.”

“The future has already changed. No one has seen the outcome yet,” Duusu hissed. “But for you, I don’t need predictions to see what will happen. Consider this the end, Hawkmoth!”

Shuddering feathers snapped shut, claws and scaled hands were forward, and both bird and reptilian mutant lashed out at the insectoid being before them.

 

* * *

 

It felt like awakening after a nap that somehow managed to be long enough, but didn’t leave her feeling awake. She wanted to go back to sleep; she wanted to never open her eyes or move, but it wasn’t warm enough. This was about the time to reach for her blankets and curl into a ball, but she must still have sleep paralysis. Neither arm nor leg moved; and now that she considered it, she didn’t feel like her eyes were open. They felt heavy. It was taking her an effort to try parting her eyelids.

So… why bother?

It wasn’t that cold – it didn’t feel colder either so, why should she care? Was waking up really necessary? It was dark, she was tired, and that was enough reason to get more rest.

Too bad she couldn’t turn over either, but she would just deal with it.

Slowly, her mind proceeded to drift away, and she thinks it would’ve emptied were it not for a change.

 

Wet.

 

Something damp landed on her chest.

It went away as soon as it touched and left a chilling mark behind, but when she prepared to drift again, it came back. After three seconds of lingering against her skin, it left again, but then returned and repeated. If it was something just dripping, but it felt like a towel was being dragged against her purposefully, dabbing with the brief wipe away. And with each touch, she was feeling warmer and her drowsiness was beginning to fade. The heaviness pressed upon her eyes was receding, but did she want to try opening them again? With each continuing pass on her chest, she did.

 

So, she tried.

 

And at first, she saw black.

Looking up and around in that order, it was more blackness without feeling oppressive. Though, a pressure on her arms and hands pressing to the small of her back, she felt warmth seeping further in. Eyes turning downward, it was like the sun cutting through a stormy day, the golden rays of a wild mane bright against the black. It tickled her skin, but several tips were shaded red, stained by… blood?

Blinking, she looked lower and managed to see herself. Her bare body was beneath this blonde light, but was that her? She remembered being pale, but not to the point of being white. And the dark red clashing there, it ran all the way up to her collar. In fact, she thought she felt something running over her throat.

When she looked back towards the sun again, she noted the triangular ears peeking through; as well, she noticed the gleaming acid green eyes rise and focus on her, their thin pupils dilating from mere lines. For a second, a scream did bubble in her throat, but it was gone just as quickly. She knew those eyes, knew the black-furred mask wrapped around them, too. How very cat-like this individual was, it wasn’t normal, but it was normal to her. She had seen it so many times, but she hadn’t seen it to this level outside of her nightmares.

Fangs hung above his curled tongue that he drew back into his mouth and closed his lips. His head had risen enough that she could see her chest – see the large hole covered by a thin smoky film and skin steadily healing over.

 

“… What is…?”

 

That croak did not sound like her voice, but her throat strained as the cords within vibrated.

Why? Why why why why?

When did that…? Why did--? How come she couldn’t remember what happened?

 

“Mari… nette…”

 

Gasping, her eyes refocused on the boy resting his chin against her chest. He looked so tired, but his hands pressed so tight into her back, the faintest pinpricks of nails resting in her flesh. There was something… besides the exhaustion and besides the want to attack from… before?

How long before?

Wracking her brain, nothing came to mind. She couldn’t recall.

A hand – his claw – rose up to her shoulder, and she watched as he nuzzled and resumed licking at the wound in her chest, following the trail of blood rising up to her neck. It felt strange, but his actions didn’t feel wrong. Marinette remained motionless, allowing the boy to take care of her. That was what he was doing; that’s right. But why was he doing this? Why was did he care so much? He licked and he licked, and then he would nuzzle, a soft rumble rising from his chest. His actions seemed oddly frantic, but she couldn’t fathom why. The longer he did it, the more his eyes seemed to flicker and brighten…

… Glisten?

White fingers touched his cheeks and soon, his face was cradled beneath a palm, the other hand rising up to comb his hair. It didn’t feel as fluffy as it looked. Felt? Her brow twitched and creased, her eyes following the hand to its arm and up to her shoulder. Oh, that was her hand, but she couldn’t move her arms. When could she, but then why did she only feel him against her hand? But no, that wasn’t right either. She had felt him against her chest, at her collar, touching her back, and now, she felt his face burying against her neck. There were several brief passes of his tongue, but it stopped.

He stopped.

His tongue, his purring, his movement, all of it stopped.

Effort had to be put in for her shoulders to move consciously, and to make her elbows bend. From cradling his face, her hand slid down and moved slow over his neck where her fingers gently traced the top of his spine briefly before resting between his shoulders. The hand tangled in his hair didn’t move away, but slithered through listless threads to tangle within the other knots present.

 

“Mari… nette… Marinette. Mari…”

 

His choked voice coughed and she felt his hands shift away from pressing into her back to wrapping around her body entirely. He twitched, but then shuddered, and his face pressed to the physical limit of what it could reach against her neck, hard enough that she had a keener feeling of even his fine fur mask. The intimate physical contact again did not jar her as one would think, but her eyes opened further as a smaller touch of dampness flowed into a steady stream over her neck and shoulder.

Her own face suddenly felt hot, and from her eyes, she felt several tears spill from the corners and over her temples.

“A… drien.”

Marinette’s eyes felt weighed and her vision blurred when more tears formed just to fall. Her fingers curled and her arms became rigid as she held onto the boy with all the strength she could summon. Flashes of the fight and the cane burst into her conscious, but none could distract her from this moment and trying desperately to hold on.

“Adrien…. Adrien!”

She should not be able wrap her arms around him so much nor should she be capable of easily discerning his ribs from his spine, but she could. Everything she could make out upon his bare back lost focus, but it had been plenty. It shocked her to see his skin molding so close to his bones and to see the new scars he’d given himself, and then there was his face again. His cheeks were hollow and she could just see how his face sunk beneath his eyes. And those eyes, open enough that she could make out his relief and elation that his own tears were swift to wash out. His head again met her neck and his shoulders shook, his voice no more than a sob, “M-Marinette. Y-You were… and then… B-But you’re back! You’re back, you’re back!”

“Of course I’m back, kitten…” she hiccupped. “I can’t leave you, not after finding you again. I’m sorry I took so long.”

He shook his head, meeting her cheek with his nose.

“No. I knew eventually we would be back together. Though, perhaps this reunion should properly wait until we’re out of… this?”

Drawing back from her, he helped her sit up – stand? – they at least weren’t lying down anymore in the black space they currently inhabited. Her brows furrowing again, Marinette wracked her brain, trying to recall what happened after the cane. She had been falling, and there had been a flicker of black and green. Glancing over at Adrien who still looked around for an exit, she felt her lips part slightly when she looked at his eyes.

 

“… Adrien, I… I think we’re inside your Primal form.”

 

His head snapped down and his eyes bulged. That was, until he winced and grasped his head, his ears folding as he groaned. His other arm slipped away from her waist and she watched him hunch forward, bringing his other hand to his chest. Raising her hands, she almost reached out to touch him, but--

 

“I-Inside…”

 

Her hands froze, eyes widening when she spotted red streaks trickling down his arm.

 

“… I… you’re inside…”

 

He coughed and he drew his tongue over his fangs before more blood splashed onto her hovering hands.

Marinette didn’t understand. Why was this happening to him now? And he was bleeding from his mouth, but this couldn’t be from the injury he accidentally inflicted upon himself before. Feeling her shell shift, she jolted, and recalled the licking. All his actions – no, most of his actions, they had been by Instinct. She remembered him licking her hand of redcurrant, licking her back after her wings came out, and now, licking her chest after she had been impaled.

Eyes darting down, the exit wound in her chest was gone. Her hands frantically touched the new skin, the reformed pale gray dot there encircled by her mutant flushed skin. Head shooting up to look at Adrien again, he had pulled his hand away from his chest to stare at the growing hole. “You…”

“Acted on instinct again it seems,” he finished for her, grimacing before closing his mouth in a crooked grin. “And… and trying to think about it, I figured out why I swallowed you…”

His skin was rapidly growing pale while she saw color returning to her own. The darkness around them proceeded to swirl and heat, igniting to assume a familiar burning scarlet.

“Wait…” she started, recognizing the hue of her fortune and feeling it slowly proceed to seep into her body. “Adrien, no! You need this! How are you going to heal your wound!?”

At her words, the blood almost seemed to begin running out faster. Of course it would; she had been stabbed through the chest and she didn’t know which organs could have been damaged, or what veins had been nicked or severed. But Adrien didn’t seem to care. Surrounded by the shifted fortune, he drew her into his arms and buried his face into her hair. All the while, her hands were trying to cover the entry wound on his back, feeling the sticky, copper-scented liquid flow through her digits instead.

“I can’t fight Hawkmoth,” Adrien sighed, doing his best to keep his weight off Marinette. “If I try anything else, I’ll just hurt more people instead of him. But as a good partner, I can give you your strength back.” Pulling back, their foreheads came to rest together. His hands rose and cupped her face, fingers caressing her cheeks. Her eyes were open as wide as they could go and he frowned. His thumb brushed away a stray tear.

 

“… Are you scared?”

 

“Of course I am…” she answered. “I just got you back. I don’t want to lose you like this!”

 

Marinette’s fingers laced between his own on her face and squeezed.

 

“Tell me I’m not going to lose you.”

 

“You’re not going to lose me.”

 

“Tell me you’re going to be alright.”

 

“I’ll be alright…”

 

Her face scrunched and her lips thinned. He could repeat her all day, but it didn’t make it the truth. Her hands trembled, but she fought against breaking down. “You better… because we have to talk after this.”

 

“Of course, My Lady. I promise we will. So please, trust me.”

 

Their noses were touching and her fingers gripped for all they could as her chin rose.

 

* * *

 

The plumage puncturing the ground wilted and disappeared, Hawkmoth again sweeping at his dampened suit while he strolled towards Duusu.

“If this isn’t a familiar sight… How many years ago was it now?” he calmly asked, taking his cane in both hands. Blonde hair spilled over Duusu’s shoulders as she sat up. That last knock to her head made her other eyes close, leaving her human eyes clear again: white sclera and piercing emerald irises. “Ah, you even gave me that same look. I commend you for trying your best. Well, you and… the other nuisances.”

Idle hand waving, he gestured first to Alya, Chloé, and Nino. The three of them had approached the Primal mutant skeleton uncertainly earlier, its rib cage housing a black orb stuck fast to several spinal vertebrae. Nothing happened no matter what they had done to disturb it, but they weren’t going to give up.

Hawkmoth next looked at the adults: Tom, Sabine, and Gabriel. The three had wanted to do something, but Master Fu had kept them back. A wise move on the old Mutant’s part, but truly pointless.

Finally, there was the other mutant, Wayzz. While perhaps he was trained, he was a fool better at defending rather than aggressive offense.

Besides Master Fu and Duusu, mentally infiltrating them was far too easy. But this was only the beginning extent of Fortune’s real power. Icy eyes back on the fallen woman, he chuckled, “Now, I want you to watch as I draw their mutant powers out. Soon, your son’s friends, his partner’s family, and your husband will be under my control. And then… let’s decide which one will finish you off.”

He already knew who he wanted it to be, eyes alight with the first real genuine gleam that could only be called satisfaction. Watching the humans writhe and listening to them wail as his powers pushed them to turn far from properly. He even pushed Wayzz to proceed past his final mutations, intending on making him more like an earlier squashed insect. This was the pinnacle of his research; the final fruition of all his hard work.

A pulse rattled his reprieve and jolted his conscious. He found the mental threads he had tethered abruptly rendered useless when the next pulse came. Head whipping back to Duusu for an answer, his attention was pulled away by the pulsating pink light he noticed suddenly present within Chat Noir’s rib cage. Speaking of the rib cage, it was disappearing – not disintegrating into ash, but quite literally fading away.

Unbarred from bones, the rosy mass shrank down and Hawkmoth felt himself being drawn in; or, no, he wasn’t being drawn in, but the fortune he had taken seemed to be gradually seeping away. It wasn’t all gone, but the fact it was being pulled away at all had him alarmed.

The glowing mass was small enough to coalesce into a form; a small one with a petite figure and with loose, shoulder-length dark hair that shined blue. Her skin shimmered and pulsed the same power the sphere had, making her a vicious contrasting element to the muted form she held onto. She said nothing as she knelt and placed the slumped young male upon the ground, her fingers rubbing slack black ears once before she stood again, arms crossed and four translucent cells rising from her back.

 

“Hawkmoth…”

 

His eye twitched and the grip on his cane tightened.

Angular eyes opened to reveal thinned pupils and glittering blue orbs fixed only on him. He felt something foreign roll down his spine as her lips curled into a fanged sneer.

 

“ ... I'll be taking back what you stole now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay getting this up! But yes, this is why we now split this chapter up from the next one. Man, there are still characters in this story I have to draw out especially like Duusu now. Gosh, waiting so long to get to this point with her and stuff! And Marinette and Adrien, about time they do like they're supposed to as Mutants. Geez! They function much better together! Not like people are supposed to understand given how uncommon they are as Mutants.
> 
> But, no, I'm just giving everyone a hard time... and now it's time for Hawkmoth to be properly confronted by a seriously ticked off Marinette. More fighting! All the fighting! RALLY CRY!
> 
> ... Next time! For now, gotta clean up my zine piece, fight with CMYK profile, and then... huh, I don't know! Take a break maybe! For now, please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe. See you in the next chapter!


	15. Alpha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Between the two of them, there could only be one in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

It was a stand-off in the rain; fitting, but also very cliché. If it wasn’t Hawkmoth before her, if the situation was somehow less tense, maybe Marinette would’ve found humor in it, but as it was, she couldn’t. His silver mask and cold eyes haunted her and however many victims he had claimed before. How many could it be truly since she was only code named by her mutant gene? How many people suffered, and of those, who died because of him and because of his stupid goal? Just for her? Just for her Good Fortune and its ability to Create?

But that was it.

Luck was a force difficult to comprehend. It could give, and it could take; what was good could also be bad and vice versa in the long run. In line with many other forces similarly incomprehensible, it could give what was most desired, or it could take away something cherished.

 

Create…

 

Destroy…

 

Marinette took a step forward with her arms sliding to her sides, wings still out full and pulsing as she narrowed the distance between herself and Hawkmoth. The Fortune bestowed upon her from Adrien thrummed within her chest and radiated out, proving to be an imposing force. Even her approach became more of a prowl of an apex predator approaching prey. Hawkmoth looked indifferent, but she noticed his brow twitched and saw how he shifted his fingers. She felt her stolen Fortune leaking from his body and seeping back into hers. Did it know that he couldn’t properly control it? Or, no - her body was stealing his fortune much like how Adrien took from others before. Why not? He had ‘collected’ it for her in his Primal state; in the state Hawkmoth made him assume under his torment.

“Now Ladybug, I only took what belongs to me,” he tutted, cane tapping. Before, that sound would have caused her to flinch, but now, that sound only had her pupils thin nearly into lines and a rattling hiss rose from her throat.

“You did, huh? So Adrien’s life was yours to take?” she snarled, halting less than three meters from him, the antennae on her head pressed forward, further leaving her fury exposed. “And kidnapping me from school, forcing me through those experiments, and causing me to mutate, my future was just yours to take, too? Every other person you dragged into this, every person you forced to mutate for your purpose, their lives were yours to take? You’ve involved so many innocent bystanders that I would say this goes beyond any attempt at making this justifiable, Hawkmoth.”

The muscles in her back tensed and she only made the smallest shift to her stance, bare foot sinking into the shallow puddle formed there and swirling black and red. His eyes narrowed, and his glove faintly groaned as the leather stretched, his fingers clutching his cane tighter.

“And who are you to say that? You’re no judge… You’re no less a mutant than I am now, girl.”

“I know that…” Marinette replied and she raised her hands, looking at the chitin covering her fingers. Black, deep and almost fathomless until it shifted, a rosy sheen flashing across that she briefly saw her reflection until the light passed to the tips of her claws. She felt her knuckles pop as her curled her fingers and looked up again. “I am no less a mutant than you, but there’s a difference. I’ve surpassed what you’ll ever be.”

The distance between them went from less-than three meters to zero in a half-second, chitin-coated claw catching Hawkmoth’s cane aiming to pierce her chest again. She countered his action by jumping, her body twisting mid-motion with her hand balanced on top of the cane, striking him across the face with her foot. It wasn’t enough to make him stagger, but it force his head to snap sideways. Pushing away, her feet didn’t return to the ground; instead, her wings rapidly buzzed like a hummingbird’s, holding her aloft while she graciously allowed her opponent to recover.

Lowering his cane, his free hand rose and he gripped his jaw, adjusting it before his thumb swiped his bottom lip. Perhaps she had dislodged something, but she hadn’t made him bleed… yet. Her kick had, however, drawn away more of her stolen fortune. So, either they drew this match out, or she got in close and continued hand-to-hand. It would be best to get her powers back quickly, but she didn’t trust herself to actually land more hits. She got lucky; and he still had some luck.

She had to stay on her toes until she knew whether he could steal away what Adrien had given her.

Waiting for him to move was agonizing, but she refused to budge herself. Besides, he had to realize the longer he held back, the most strength she would be stealing away.

And then he did move.

His stained wings did not bring him forward, but drew him away, and she hissed. Yeah, he realized it, but she wasn’t going to let him escape this time.

Marinette was off like a dart after him as he headed towards the twisted and still decaying structure that had been the Eiffel Tower. Though some of the I-beams had snapped and now stood tall like mangled saplings, the rest of the architecture managed to hold, turning it into a winding maze spilled across the Pont d'Iéna to the Trocadéro. She noticed the fractures in the bridge itself as it bore the weight upon its back, but it fought to hold. Meanwhile, she kept her eyes on the man attempting to escape her, following his snaking path through the iron ruins. Losing him now risked allowing him to fly off. The rain would make it difficult to track his scent if he got away.

Her eyes narrowed and she pushed herself faster.

The metal moaned as they looped past the second level and dove into the cavernous needle of the tower itself heading towards the intermediate platform before the top of the tower itself. The spaces narrowed in and the space which both of them could maneuver shrunk, all sides pressing closer. As he cut past a particularly distorted set of decorative beams, he raised his hands and grazed several of them with his fingers. Like twigs, they lurched immediately and snapped inward, jutting into Marinette’s path. She had only a second to shut her wings and dive through the middle, her body turning in an aerial roll to avoid the beams lucky enough for herself. Behind her though, the rest of the beams fell and further shrunk the space both Hawkmoth and herself could confront each other in.

Wings out again, she found him waiting just beyond the intermediate platform and stalled, wondering what he planned on doing next. They were both well boxed inside with one side firmly grounded against the bridge and the rest closing in as the rust began the gather around, narrowing their pathways back out. She was getting a good sense of this space, and how much longer until it completely withered to nothing. Spots filled her vision briefly, first upon the few beams still untouched and then Hawkmoth, but there was a component missing. Something like a web flashed in her mind. However, before she could fill the gap, Hawkmoth was out. Eyes wide, she found the route screaming shut as more decorative beams collapsed before her. Drawing back, she quickly sought and took the first alternate route she could find, but kept in mind the spot where she needed to bring Hawkmoth back.

He hadn’t gotten far soaring off over the Seine, allowing her to give chase again. Oddly enough, he didn’t head towards the arrondissements still intact, but towards those already fallen. For a moment, she didn’t understand until the sound of grindings gears and rumbling engines made her glance down. That’s right; she had wondered what had happened to the military and police forces that had occupied the city. At some point, they had become trapped on the other side of the Seine, the uneven roads and collapsed buildings forcing the personnel to try clearing a viable path.

Some of them were still armed, and there was still a driver in the tank now turning its main gun up towards them. Dark clothes concealed Hawkmoth from their vision, but unlike him, she was still vividly red.

Her temper flared at Hawkmoth’s attempt at a trap.

The shots were wide and missed both of them, but that didn’t mean all the bullets avoided grazing her. A couple did, but Marinette remained assured by her pounding heart they would not hit her. There was the disadvantage of the storm overhead and a blinding lightning flash to cover her as she gained speed, keeping her eyes again on her own target. She needed to catch him; needed some way to tie him up and trap him.

Heat coursed through her from the top of her head and down to her fingers. They clutched the round object that appeared, but she didn’t look to see what it was yet while her subconscious made her aware of the string looping around her middle finger. Next attempt at a turn, she drew her arm back and threw it forward, her hand releasing the tool – a spotted yo-yo – to cut him off.

It struck hard before him, easily breaking the already weakened cement with a hearty crack. Whipping it back into her hand as he whirled around, he narrowly avoided her fist, and they both watched it destroy the wall instead. Bared fangs and head snapped in his direction again, she raised her other arm to block the head of his cane as it swung down, crystal and shell meeting with a resounding crack.  Back again he flew, but this time, her pursuit was with weapon accompaniment.

He had to face her now; he had to confront her.

Her yo-yo sang with each release, the string unraveling like it would never end, but snapping back to her with each clash of their weapons. Each launched attack he batted expertly away with his cane, the two weapons igniting a flash upon their collision. No longer was there any gunfire because even the soldiers seemed to realize what was going on with each swing and spark.

Yo-yo back, she didn’t draw it in but wound it, thinned eyes analyzing her next approach. And then she let him turn, allowed him even to flee back towards the 7 th arrondissement. Another wave of heat spilled over her as she chased him and her speed increased. Either he didn’t have much fortune left, or she would have to apologize to the officers trapped across the Seine later. No matter; she saw her chance soon as she angled down towards Hawkmoth and threw.

She didn’t aim at him this time, but instead, her yo-yo struck one of his forewings and ripped back. He still managed to recover, but she could see the black spots once dotting him were nearly gone.

Around again, trying to lose her.

Her antennae drew flat as they raced back to the Eiffel Tower and she felt the pulse warning her.

Over and under the weakening Pont d'Iéna, the tower was crumbling away at the intermediate platform and Hawkmoth was heading back in. She did not hesitate to follow, yo-yo clenched and ready.

Kindly he had waited, but again, he came at her with his cane. She shielded herself with her arm, pushing away with a kick to allow enough time for her other hand to reach out. Fingers grazed against a solid beam and she felt her powers course outward, up towards the top of the tower. Hawkmoth’s next swing caught her across the face, but she gnashed her teeth and grabbed hold before he could draw away.

“Only one of us is leaving here alive!” he snapped, shooting his hand out to seize her throat, but she backed off.

Her wrist bent in preparation and she watched him adjust his cane. She kept her voice level as she spoke. “I’m more than ready for that…”

Her yo-yo flew again, but where Hawkmoth raised his cane to counter, the toy passed him and proceeded to ricocheting off the warped beams from one angle to the next. The string followed the weapon’s impossible trajectory unceasingly until the disks were back in her grasp and Marinette charged, making sure to pull it tight.

Her body tucked and she flipped, taking his next hit against her back just before she barreled into his chest, effectively winding long enough for both legs to kick him backwards as she uncurled. Taut string waiting, Marinette adjusted her grip and watched the string oozed black. For a second, her cat’s cradle pulled against her and Hawkmoth’s yell was silenced just as it started. She didn’t look, but that didn’t stop her from smelling the decay and fresh blood splattering across bars as the garrote-like string did its job. Exhaling, she tried to focus on the Fortune seeping back to her through the tethered threads because, the less she thought about the fact she just killed a man, the more she could focus on her burning chest.

Never before had she held onto her powers like this. Perhaps it should surprise her with how much it hurt, but this was nothing. Plenty besides her had suffered that it was her turn to endure.

With another tug, her yo-yo unwound itself and snapped back into her grasp. Holding it close, she soared out of the tower and off the falling bridge. All of it was going down; part of her still couldn’t believe it. But, raising her head to look into the horizon, she saw the clear divide between the untouched arrondissements and the rest that were just gone. The perpetrator behind this was gone…

 

What happened now?

 

Paris, and all those lives… she thought she could hear the voices ringing in her head, or at least, those who had time to scream. Everything that was taking, their fortune was now inside her.

She landed on the ground, alone and combing her hair behind an ear with one hand while the other held the yo-yo against her breast. She shut her eyes so she didn’t need to see and felt her antennae droop against her head. 

 

What time was it? 

 

The city was too silent.

“Marinette…”

The sound of rain and Master Fu’s voice were abruptly punctuated by the thundering crash of Pont d'Iéna spilling into the Seine. Opening her eyes, she stared at the old man with her head bowed. She tried to smile; she really did, but she may have whimpered instead. Motionless, she watched him take her hand and felt him squeeze her fingers. He let her hold his hand.

“Master Fu, he’s gone… I killed Hawkmoth.”

“Yes, you did.”

Breathing out slowly, her breath caught in her throat. She felt the pain now throbbing in her shoulders and back. Without looking, she imagined scars etching themselves into her skin and considered she would bear some remind of today and her failures. Exhaling, her eyes dropped to the ground.

“Hawkmoth’s gone… but Paris is gone, too. And Nooroo, and Trixx… and Adrien…”

Master Fu shook his head and smiled.

“What have you learned about your luck?”

Quiet, she stood with her brows knitting together, unsure of what he meant. She had learned plenty about it, far beyond what he originally told her. Adrien did use his strength to make good luck more potent for her to use, but she didn’t understand what that had to do with anything. But he had also given her the energy – his luck – to make up for her stolen luck. That was how they worked; or how they could work. And in her moment of need at the right time, her power could create an item to aid her like at the Pont des Arts.

 

…

 

There was a thought.

What happened to the rope on Pont des Arts?

She remembered there had been a pink light, but she didn’t have it after they left. Everything had been a blur, running from the police, going to Master Fu’s, and then they had come to this point. The only chance she had to really breathe was while she had been staying with Plagg and Tikki.

Her eyes widened.

She turned her head, she looked over her shoulder at the empty space where the Eiffel Tower had been, her hand slipping away from Master Fu’s hold. With several steps, she turned and began walking forward.

Healing was something she was supposed to be capable of, but did that extend to restoration? And if it did, on this scale?

That was outside of probability, but the yo-yo was burning in her palms with the same intensity as the pain in her chest. Beyond probability and incomprehensible by normal standards much like something else she’d come to learn more about.

A blinding, rosy hue overtook her vision, forcing her shut her eyes and bite back a scream. She felt her fingers clench harder around her yo-yo, but it felt like she was trying to hold a cooking sheet directly from the oven without gloves. The scorching livewire pulsed in her palm which rattled her heart and spread to her toes, and suddenly, she found herself clutching her emptied fists together. If she could do this, if her powers could restore the ones lost in this conflict and whose fortune she was using now, then so be it whatever she had to endure.

Marinette gasped, and struggled to breathe.

In the rush of heat, white overtook her vision.

And she felt herself falling once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, I know a looooot of you were waiting for this. I hope I didn't disappoint, or that it was too anti-climatic. A whole chapter of nothing but action and fighting mostly, yeah, that's hard, but TA-DA! And look at this, my readers/commenters/subscribers! There's only one chapter of this part left! We're going to be closing on Cocoon next week, oh my gooooosh! Again, I really wanna thank everyone for reading.
> 
> If you haven't read my [update](http://artisticflutter.tumblr.com/post/161516594071/updaaate) on Tumblr, I'll be taking a break for the rest of June after the next chapter goes up and all of July. I'll be drawing for LadyNoir Month (if that's happening) and also Fic Appreciation Week when it pops up. There will probably be a few Metamorphosis related drawings in the LadyNoir stuff among other things, but the Fic Appreciation, I'll try doing other stories I've read and enjoyed.
> 
> Though, speaking of Tumblr things, I need some help my friends. That link above actually details another story I'm planning on writing and I need basically prompts for it. More details at there, but I don't wanna clog up/get in trouble with AO3 going into too much about it, but it's related to Chat Noir and cat things, and could be more! We'll talk more next week after that chapter goes up about everything. For now, please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe! See you in the final chapter!


	16. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm continues outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir was created by Thomas Astruc and Zagtoons, Inc. Please support the official release.
> 
> Beta Reader: [PocketNoivern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PocketNoivern/profile)

It felt like she had been doing nothing but sleeping for far too long again, and forcing her eyes to open this time was a chore. Managing a half-lidded stare, she found herself looking at the low white ceiling – no, it took her another moment to realize it was a second-floor walkway – above where she lay, her lead body floating upon something incredibly soft. She imagined it was a cloud; or, how more specifically, it felt like a cloud if a cloud was as soft as they appeared. She wouldn’t mind continuing to lay there were it not for the gradual feeling returning to her body, and another prod from her conscience telling her to get up. Even the gentle pat of rain against a nearby window wouldn’t lull her mind back into slumber because she had to rise.

Frowning, she let out a low breath and turned her head, blinking.

Then, she blinked again.

She hadn’t even felt the dip in the bed. Perhaps she had been unaware with how heavy she felt, but how come she hadn’t heard him either?

His once softly tanned skin now stricken by a cool gray undertone, Adrien lay motionless beside her on his back with his eyes shut. He was still terribly thin as she last remembered seeing him in that moment she laid him on the ground, but whoever brought them here must have washed his face and trimmed back his hair considering the were both clear of blood and other various grime. It worried Marinette though, how lightly he breathed and she attempted to shift closer to him.

There was still fur around his eyes and his ears were larger than she remembered, and when she felt his hand beneath their sheets, she didn’t recall his fingers or claws being so long. There was more – she recalled his legs and posture vaguely, and then there were his actions, but she didn’t reflect too long. Taking his claw into her hand, she eased herself beneath his arm to rest her head against his chest. He was far from sleeping on a pillow, but being this close and able to hear his heartbeat slowly thumping beneath his skin made up for it, settling her into an ease she had not felt for weeks.

Her poor cat…

Her other hand rose and her fingers traced the scar he bore in the middle of his chest. There were others she could trace, plenty of claw marks for her eyes to trek, but this one had been hers – should be hers. He risked his life taking the wound upon himself in his condition.

“Adrien…”

Marinette turned her head and allowed her lips to press against his skin, laying back to resume her gentle circles she drew upon him. She flinched and shivered, feeling the familiar points of his claws leisurely draw up along her spine.

“Worth it…”

Eyes gazing up, she noticed the sliver of green visible through sleek black,  oval pupils looking back upon her. His lips were quirked, but not as wide as they might were he feeling at one hundred percent. Still, she could accept seeing his fifty, sixty percent attempt and meet it with a soft smile of her own.

 

“Hello, My Lady…”

 

“Hello, Kitty…”

 

She wanted to roll on top of him and envelope him in the biggest hug, burying them both in blankets to forget about the outside world and what happened just for a few minutes longer. However, when she tried, she felt his claw press against her back to keep her still. He shook his head once, the smirk on his face having fallen. “Don’t… not yet. You need to let yourself heal.”

“What are you talking about?” She lifted her head and pursed her lips. “My chest feels sore, but it’s not that bad.”

The bed shifted and her eyes bulged when she found _herself_ enveloped by his arms. He had turned on his side and pulled her in despite his own condition, pressing their bodies together and taking the opportunity to nuzzle her head. There was something weird – as though her skin wasn’t entirely in contact with his. His lower extremities were covered much like hers, but their chests were bare; or at least, she felt cool air on it and saw he had no shirt. Like many times before, a purr rolled from his chest and into her heart, quelling its racing beat.

“You weren’t conscious when they brought you here,” he muttered between purrs, his hands remaining firm against her back. Again, it felt like he was touching, but when he reached beneath her shoulders, she no longer felt his finger pads. He sighed, “I can only remember so much… but I know I woke up when they carried you in. Marinette, you… you were so limp and all the color was almost gone from your skin again.”

Finding herself beneath him and staring into his eyes as he held himself above her with his arms, she realized he wasn’t looking at her face. Instead, he was looking down towards her chest. While she felt self-conscious about it, she followed his gaze down and felt her breathing hitch at the thick layers of bandages wrapped around her torso. Her vision was obscured by blonde and she shivered upon feeling his breath come close to her skin.

“I wasn’t allowed to see the wound, but… I know it’s there. They said it looked like your heart tried to rip out of your chest.” His voice was muffled as his head met the bandages and he groaned, frustrated as he tried to lick. There were fangs; he was holding himself back from biting through and tending to her himself. In turn, she placed a hand on his head beside an ear and began to scratch, trying to suppress the urge before he pushed any further. His nose quivering, she could see his pupils expand. “Your skin was also burned… I can still smell it bleeding.”

 

“Adrien, don’t—“

 

But his claws were already cutting into the wrappings behind her back and he whimpered. Even as she tugged at his ear to make him stop, she heard the gauze ripping and felt his tongue reach new skin that had been concealed. Marinette shuddered and moaned, his actions causing her skin to sting before cooling. It was that feeling of icing a burn or applying aloe, but he soothed it far faster. Watching him strip away more of her bandages, she could see the angry raw red mark spreading in a blistering bloom from the center of her sternum, and followed where it branched to the swell of her breasts and above her stomach. It looked awful, but the worst had to be the middle where the burn became perfectly circular and turned a deep mahogany right over her heart. It reminded her of the yo-yo she had just before she fell unconscious doing… whatever she had done.

No matter how relieving his actions felt, Marinette could not let Adrien continue and take on these wounds. Still, another attempt to make him stop with a tug, and one more attempt at distracting him by scratching behind his ears, he kept at it with long draws over exposed capillaries with low rumbles rolling from his chest and throat. He licked _every_ spot when tending to her and she just stopped trying to hinder him. Adrien would be done when he was satisfied.

Letting her hands rest against his head and neck, she exhaled and listened to both his purrs and the rain drumming against the window. She also took the opportunity to actually look around the room she was now in. Above her head was a green banner – the white vector work printed on the front illustrated a mask in the center and two crossed foils behind it, the letters ‘CEFD’ beneath it along with a figure of some sort within a circle. The banner itself hung on an elevated section of wall, that being gray while behind it, the actual wall was an interesting shade of orange, perhaps close to that of a persimmon.

Turning her head left, the architecture again came forward, the wall painted a more metallic gray and she could only make out the desk and chair before it. She couldn’t crane her head much further from this angle before her neck began to hurt and the pillow began to obscure her sight. She could at least see the globe and quite possibly a stairwell leading to the second floor, but she turned her head back to lie down and stare at the second floor landing again. None of that gave her even the vaguest hint of where she may be.

Time crawled onward and the boy buried against her chest abruptly hissed.

Blinking out of her tranquil stupor, Marinette felt his arms wrapped around her back and realized his body was now lying over hers, and he was still going at her wounds. Taking a peek, it looked better, but it befuddled her to see it persisted. It didn’t hurt – in fact, his saliva had long since numbed any ache she felt – but it hadn’t healed like the other wounds he had treated before. His purrs amplified in volume and potency, but a brief glimpse at his face, she saw the mounting distress.

 

“Adrien… Adrien, shh… it’s okay.”

 

“N-No… no, it’s not,” he gasped, shaking his head. “It’s not going away. Why isn’t it disappearing? I’m supposed to take your wounds and help heal you, right?! Why isn’t this one going away?”

How could this have him so concerned? It was a minor wound compared to everything he had been through and needed to recover from, but this was making him frantic. Her fingers curled in his hair and scratched, trying to calm him, but he was trembling, trying again at the worst of her burns. She watched him lap the full circle and he made sure to coat the entire thing, but the color did not change nor did the usual black film affix to it.

 

“No… no, nonononono…”

 

A warbled mewl escaped him and he pressed his face against her collar as his tremors worsened. “Why isn’t it working? Marinette, why can’t I do anything?”

“Adrien, calm down. You’re already done enough, please…!” She couldn’t believe that he didn’t see that, and yet, she could understand how he might be missing it. Readily he had decided to tend to her without much provocation, holding her close, and purring against her, taking care not to harm her anymore. Marinette didn’t know how much he remembered from his Primal form, but given how cat-like he was behaving, his Instincts were far more deeply ingrained into him which possibly meant...

Hearing a door open to her right as her heart sank, she turned her head to see her Maman, of all people, peering from around the corner. Her hold on Adrien tightened when she realized his distraught purr had become a growl. “M-Maman!”

“Marinette…! Oh, thank goodness you’re finally awake!” her Maman cried, sweeping quickly to the bedside despite the growling Mutant lying against Marinette. Of course, when he turned his head and got a look at the intruder, he calmed at once. Tears were in the older woman’s eyes as she touched her daughter’s head with a hand and brushed some of her loose hair back before pressing a kiss to her temple. “We’ve been so worried. How are you feeling?”

“I’m… better. I feel like I’ve been sleeping too long and… well, not me, but Adrien’s upset,” Marinette replied, resuming her gentle rubs over the young male’s head. “We need a little more time.”

“That’s fine, honey. After everything that’s happened, you two deserve as much time as you need,” Sabine hummed, giving a sympathetic smile to both of them as her hand caressed her daughter’s cheek. Despite unfamiliar setting, Marinette felt more secure with her mother’s presence and she wondered if her father wasn’t that far either. She had wanted to see both of them for so long and to talk to them. Every morning after her dreams, and every night after finding out she could not head to the facility – that Adrien had to come back to Paris in such a terrifying way, she would’ve liked having their comfort and reassurance, but it had been for their safety.

 

But her Maman was here now.

 

And Hawkmoth was really gone…

 

A faint tapping at the door had Sabine holding Marinette’s cheek as she looked away. “You can come in. Marinette and Adrien are both awake…”

Unsure of who to expect, the girl beamed upon seeing Master Fu approach, but froze when Adrien had the same reaction to him as he did with her Maman. It only made the dread heavy in her stomach weigh down more. All three of them gave it a few seconds to pass and Marinette decided to draw the bedsheets up, covering his head to try calming his senses again.

“Good morning Marinette, Adrien,” Master Fu greeted, his own mouth curled upward despite the half-hostile welcome. “I’m glad to see you two are recovering much sooner than anticipated.”

“Thank you, Master Fu,” she replied, her smile still bright though she had a feeling there was something else he wished to discuss. Sure enough, their minor exchange had Sabine stand up. Although she said mentioned getting tea for them, tea was usually accompanied by a conversation. Marinette didn’t miss the knowing look exchanged between her Maman and Master Fu either, and even if her Maman delayed her exit in protest, she soon quietly took her leave.

 

They didn’t say anything.

 

Even after the door clicked shut, Marinette and Master Fu were just staring at each other. If he was waiting for her to speak, if he wanted to say something before she asked anything, she didn’t know, and the what-ifs were making her head spin. A warm claw resting on her waist and the vibrations resuming managed to keep her from freaking out.

“Uh, how long were we asleep?” she finally asked, fingers parting blonde strands beneath the navy sheets.

The old man let the smile fall from his face and sighed, “Almost a week.”

She froze, her fingers gripping Adrien’s hair.

“Adrien did come around earlier, but he was not… Let’s just say he almost refused to let anyone redress your injuries,” he hummed, mouth pressing into a thin line. “… I’m sure you’ve noticed his behavior already.”

Exhaling through her nose, she looked down at the lump. She nodded listlessly and felt Adrien shift.

“His Instincts… They’re…” she bit her lip. “… He’s still here. Master Fu, this is Adrien.”

 

“I’m not saying it isn’t Adrien, but Marinette, I’m afraid he'll be like this permanently.”

 

 …

She said nothing, her eyes half-closed and her gaze empty, staring without focus upon the mass still cuddled against her. It was still him; still the kind, lonely boy who needed a companion…

A frightened, tortured young Mutant that only saw the world trying to hurt him and losing control.

 “… Is there nothing I can do for him?” she whispered. “After everything he’s done and had to go through, Master Fu?”

 

Silence answered her.

 

On her chest, she felt small drips land on her skin.

 

“… Remain steadfast at his side. Your presence and power should keep him grounded, but if you become distressed, or the pressure becomes too much on him, it will not be enough.” Their elder didn’t often mince details, but Marinette would’ve liked him to; just for this moment. “I did hear you mention that he was becoming upset earlier?”

Hesitating, she soon nodded once. “It was over the burn on my chest. He was trying to treat it.”

Master Fu made a noncommittal sound and stroked his beard several times before answering.

“That is a self-inflicted wound caused by your own powers,” he informed her, shaking his head. “They disrupted your body’s ability to heal… and since you know your powers are similar, he can’t heal your wounds either.” He paused, raising his head a little higher. “How many times did he try?”

 

“It isn’t how many times he tried. He wasn’t going to _stop_ trying, but then Maman came in.”

 

Marinette didn’t like the way Master Fu’s brows furrowed. She didn’t like the way he stopped talking either, or the way the door opened without warning. Again, Adrien bristled in her arms, but she held him down, feeling her eyes narrow at the sight of an unfamiliar blonde woman and panicked blue eyes.

 

“Master Fu, there’s… oh.”

 

The woman paused, drawing back when she spotted Marinette and ducked further when Adrien’s growl became audible. Master Fu moved back, and turned to face the new face, “Yes, Pollen? What is it?”

“A report on the news,” she replied, eyes flitting between the old Mutant and Marinette.

Marinette raised an eyebrow, but then realized her entire week being out, she had no idea what was going on in Paris. Not that she was rushing to get up, but that might be something the needed to know. Shifting, she settled when Master Fu raised a hand.

 

“We’ll get this sorted out. Stay here and take care of Adrien.”

 

She didn’t like this.

She didn’t like watching Master Fu and Pollen leave, and the door closing this time echoed louder in her head. The rain was pounding harder against the window and she ducked her head, worrying that a storm was approaching in more ways than one.

 

“Marinette…?”

 

“… Yes?”

 

Settling down, Marinette shifted her hold on Adrien, and watched him move to peek out from beneath the sheets, his green eyes dull.

 

“… What am I? Am I human anymore?”

 

She gaped, tensing while the question hung in the air and her breath caught in her throat. Seconds ticked and his eyes fell, and she felt herself trembling. She thought about this before, but that was back when they had a chance at being normal again and he hadn’t been so afflicted. The world wouldn’t know; they would see him as a danger…

 

_“Five days after this attack, we must begin to ask ourselves what this means for our safety. Hospitals are still dealing with thousands of patients suffering similar effects of post-traumatic stress after ‘dying’ in this incident.”_

 

What he had done and what he had destroyed…

Would they listen?

 

_“It’s still miraculous whatever brought back the destroyed districts. Do officials have any idea what that creature was, or who that figure was that the soldiers were shooting at?”_

 

It wasn’t him.

She knew who he was and what he was.

Wriggling, he blinked and loosened his hold as she sunk beneath the covers to join him, covering them both up with their blanket. A dark place was a safe place; she placed a hand over his heart and carefully touched his forehead with her own. “You look different, but you’re the same boy who I thought put gum on my chair and still decided to give me his umbrella to apologize. You sacrifice so much, and you don’t ask for much in return. You’re not anything or anyone else no matter what your Instincts make you do…”

 

_“There’s no way to guarantee the attack on Paris wouldn’t occur anywhere else. Whatever these beings are, whatever their intentions are, they must be apprehended and removed from the public.”_

 

“Adrien, you’re my best friend.” She nearly stuttered and had to bite her lip, but she couldn’t help it. Whatever happened, he needed to know now. “No matter what happens, I’m going to be here with you.”

 

_“In Paris, Mayor André Bourgeois made a statement, ordering police to cooperate with Interpol in an effort to find the individuals involved in the mass attack on the city. Other governments are apparently planning on following suit in order to circumvent similar attacks occurring in their countries.”_

 

“I… I-I love you.”

 

_“We will see justice brought to those who hurt our beloved city! They will be found guilty of their crime!”_

 

She felt his claw enclose around her hand and his other cupped her cheek. His breath was hot on her lips and she felt their noses touch. “And I’m not going to let anyone hurt you again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, the end is here! And so I face, the final... part!
> 
> Yes, hello, with this chapter, after three months, we finally close Part Three: Cocoon where our characters has come out, for better or worse, changed permanently. And again I'll have to draw Marinette, but that aside, she looks almost back to her original self save for her new chest scar and rosier skin tone while Adrien... well, Adrien. Gosh, I also still need to get Plagg posted, but his build is actually giving me the most trouble. Fun fact: I don't draw guys often, I like drawing girls. Also need Primal!Tikki, Primal!Adrien's final design, and True Fortune!Marinette. If you're wondering about Duusu... I guess her 'Harpy' fighting form, but human? There's already drawings of her.
> 
> Anyway, if you're wondering what happens next... well, as the news said, the police are now on the hunt for them. If you're worried about Raincomprix and the detectives, the don't really know that cat beast was Adrien and there was no clear shot of Marinette. And being less bug will keep people from coming for her... maybe. At least they might get to catch up with their parents and friends! Either way, put a pin on more Mutant Problems.
> 
> But again, later.
> 
> If you didn't read my post on Tumblr, I'm going to be taking the rest of June and July off to plan out the next part, do some art stuff, and write some other things (still accepting [cat requests](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjiJU2_u_t0I5k5LB4EIkp8KVYjzfkWR5Dbi0pE_H2XjNWbA/viewform?usp=sf_link) for Chat Pawtrol!). I will be participating in LadyNoir July and Fic Appreciation Week so come follow me on Tumblr and/or Twitter under the same name here to see that work when it comes. As always, please leave kudos, comments, and subscribe for future updates! See you in August for the Fourth and Final Part of Metamorphosis: Awaken(ing)!


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